Special thanks to Karm for trusting me with his characters and Medwyn for his insights concerning Water Forms
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Chapter 14: Contrapasso (part 1) (This takes place directly after Wind Chimes, Chapter 15: The Butcher's Bill)
Exiting
Fenris’ Dirge, I was first to see that Arnor was not with Karm or Ken. As I took the taller man’s hand in my grip, I asked, “It’s good to see you, my friend but is Arnor alright? Ken.” I nodded and gave a brief smile to the shorter teidowan then turned my attention back to Karm.
“She’s alive. She’s recovering.” I could see by the tight set of his eyes that there was more to it than that but I respected his prerogative in what he wanted to tell. Nodding in understanding, I looked at our surroundings while I waited for Jorya and D’Aylanna to disembark.
Before we’d made planetfall, Karm had transmitted coordinates on where to rendezvous. It was one of the major hive-spires, adjacent to the Petranaki Arena. The redish landscape and orange sky was a direct contrast to the Steppes. Combined with the gravity of the situation, it was disconcerting to say the least.
Feeling Jorya’s hand on my pauldron, when I saw D’Aylanna walk down the ramp, I knew that we were ready. Grasping both my lightsabers, I was about to talk when my wife spoke first.
“
Shakal, you and Master Karmak needs must go together.” Her dark eyes were watery and full of worry.
“I was going to say that Ken and I would set the pontite.” Karm’s steady voice intoned. Even as he spoke, D’Aylanna was shaking her head.
“Forgive me, Master Karmak. I’ve had a vision. You and my husband
must go together; otherwise, without the other you both will succumb to the dark tide.” D’Aylanna’s blue lips thinned in apprehension. “I will take Jorya and Ken to set the pontite along geodesic positions.” Suddenly, her hand shot up, resting upon Karm’s tall shoulder, her voice full of compassion. “Karm…
trust the Singer.”
With only the barest of hesitation, Karm nodded, giving no hint of astonishment. “Thank you, D’Aylanna.” He faced Ken. “Watch their backs, son,” he said as he smiled. And turning, Karm gathered me with a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go, Zearic.”
As I fell into step next to him, I said, “Lead the way, Karm.” He nodded without a word, instead grabbing his own lightsaber. Together, we ran into the hive-spire, heading further inward.
Instead of waiting for our eyes to adjust, we ignited our lightsabers, Karm’s golden blade casting a warm glow which, combined with my own silver and sapphire, helped to dispel the oppressive darkness. Following the tunnels, I had already opened myself to the Force, projecting ever outwards, looking for life signs. As I did so, I could hear Karm gently Singing what I recognized as a battle-Song.
Up ahead… I thought. And before we knew it, they were upon us.
Springing from the shadows, six figures with red lightsabers attacked. They were almost all different species—Zabrak, Trandoshan, Lorridian, Duros, and human—but they were of single intent: to kill. There was also another similarity: they were all Singers. Karm engaged the nearest three, his saberwork immediately recognizable as superior to the Dark-Siders. Gritting my teeth, I simultaneously went through my Mental Water Forms as I met my three opponents, my blades against theirs.
As my Force-assisted muscles propelled my body quick as thought, part of my mind made notice of each of our blades: one and all, they were pulsating. With Karm and the Dark-Siders, there was a…cadence that was reflected in both voice and blade. With my own, my sapphire lightsaber beat with my own heart.
The shock on each Dark-Sider’s face was evident: they didn’t know that they faced a Singer, much less one of Karm’s caliber. And it was then that I had my second epiphany: Karm’s battle-Song mirrored my own attacks, almost exact. My Nexu Master had taught me the Water Form: the style was one of flow and control and, like waves washing ashore, the moves followed the rhythm of advance and retreat. So too was Karm’s Song: the changes in the Song
directly changed our environment; notes—
form—were only temporary in the flow. Whether the Song—the
form—was gentle or hard depended on the situation, changing from one state to another as a matter of the moment. Both Song and Form were melodies in one harmonious tune, the whole greater than the sum of its parts. I smiled, feeling kinship once again as we fought as though of one mind. Within moments, four of our opponents lay dead, the fifth failing in his defense against my shoto. And as I feinted low, the opening that it created was immediately exploited, my blue blade sweeping upwards, cutting the Lorridian’s face completely from his head.
Glancing past Karm and his opponent, I noticed that a small army of Sith-Shadows were attempting to flank us. Before they could blindside him, I made a quick jump to engage them. Even as their numbers continued to grow, I was untouchable; with my lightsabers an extension of my arm, of my will, I furiously cut them down. And while a few blaster shots did make it past my blades, the dissipating weave of my cloak and armor protected me. Soon, I noticed that there were less and less Sith-Shadows—and blaster fire—to contend with: feeling his presence from behind, Karm’s golden blade was scything through the Sith-Shadows upon my flank, returning the favor. Soon, we met towards the middle of the large antechamber, not one Sith-Shadow remaining alive.
“Thank you.” We both said in unison. Smiling, Karm closed down his saber, kneeling by the Dark Singers’ bodies. And from each fallen Dark Singer, I saw him open the housing that held the pontite crystal, removing them from the lightsaber. “These
Vitreous weapons each have a potent primed crystal that I can take advantage of.” He turned his eyes towards me. “But how is it that their Singing didn’t affect you? I could almost feel their Songs being
absorbed around you.”
“I don’t kno—” I suddenly stopped, immediately thinking about the black stone dagger. “…I
think that it might have something to do with…
this.” I reached behind my cloak, pulling out the dagger. Karm’s intense gaze scrutinized the seemingly innocuous weapon.
“Incredible.” With that, he had the last crystal from the Dark-Sider’s weapon in hand. He looked as if he were about to say something else when suddenly we both felt a disturbance in the Force coming from somewhere in front of us.
“Zearic…I need a short distraction.” He looked up, the hint of a smile on his face. “Would you mind terribly?”
“Not at all.” I could feel the oppressiveness radiating out in waves of darkness from before me. “Just don’t forget D’Aylanna’s warning.” I said, only half-joking, running forward.
I noticed that from the distance we’d traveled, we were no longer in the hive-spire. As I continued down the halls, the rock crags were soon replaced by foundry machinery and automated assemblies. Soon, the tunnel opened into an enormous mechanized cavern, a break in the ceiling leading to the surface far overhead. And in front of me, a presence that I’d felt before…
With a lightsaber in her hand, the pulsing red blade slowly strobing in time with her Singing, Jennira stood a lone sentinel against me. Her face drawn back in a feral sneer, the witch made a flourish with her lightsaber, advancing upon me. “I’ve dreamed of this day. But before you die, I want for you to know that I will have my revenge upon your daughter.” I was already angry, but it was tempered with righteous justice. As my blue blade met her red, she ignited a second blade on her saberstaff, intent on bisecting me. Thankfully, I deflected her blade with my shoto, slowly circling. The Night Sister’s face furrowed in confusion. “…How is it you are resisting my Song?” And as she mentioned, I noticed that her Singing
was diminished. Her Song still affected me but almost as if having been strained through a…filter, as if muted. Regardless, I was grateful for the effect. Jennira was not only powerful in the Force but clearly also a practiced saber practitioner.
Each attack that she pressed, I was able to parry but she was good enough to not allow for any riposte. And from time to time, she would try to distract me, either with a Force Push or some telekinetic missiles. Each attack I was able to thwart, to her growing agitation. “You will pay for the deaths of my brood-chattel. You will beg for death at my hands! You will come to realize that the
only release left you in this world is a quick death that I will
never grant you!” Emphasizing her words, her swings became more power-prone, less precise. Smiling inwardly, I…
flowed into my next Form. Using the momentum from Jennira’s last lethal swing, I surged straight into her, grabbed her saberstaff and threw her across the room where she hit the far wall, hard.
Shaking her head as she rose to her knee, I wondered why she still had a small smile upon her lips. “Surrender. Or die.” My voice was cold but I could feel the heat of my anger below the surface. Yet with my sapphire blade at her throat, the witch only smiled further.
“Neither.” Her eyes flicked behind me for the briefest of moments. “Now you die.”
Before I knew it, I was attempting to pick myself off from the floor. I felt as if I’d been run over by a speeder. Trying to clear my field of vision, I shakily stood.
What the hell…? Turning, I saw a figure clad completely in black. Almost two meters tall, he was slender, a mask hiding his face, the rest of his body in black durasteel armor. And before I’d regained my faculties, I was again blown across the room, through the far wall. Only my armor protected me from dire injuries, although I felt the soreness that promised future pain. As I came to rest, I heard Jennira’s voice behind me.
“Meet my Master, Darth Mendax.” She laughed, a melodious and pleasant sound. “And your death.” As if to illustrate her words, I was bodily thrust from the floor to the ceiling, a crushing force that even my armor couldn’t fully mitigate. After a moment, I fell and hit the floor, hard. Spitting blood, I tried to focus on this Mendax and his Singing.
And for the first time, I noticed that he held a staff affixed with a large, glowing green crystal, its light a sickly hue. “The Rur crystal…” I inadvertently said aloud.
“Yes.” Mendax’s voice sounded mechanical, inhuman. “I’m impressed. Most people know nothing of Rur, much less its provenance.” And then he again began to Sing, pain erupting all over my body. I felt as if my nerve endings were being burned by the coldest ice, that my tissues were being ripped from my bones, and my blood was being boiled.
By the Maker… If Jennira’s Singing within the crevasses of the Canticum Lowlands had been bad, this was worse. “You see Zearic, the Rur crystal confers the ability to Sing. Not that the fools who had it before would know.” Mendax laughed. “They were
actually using it as their computer core!”
I was doubled over in pain as both Mendax and Jennira approached me.
My lightsabers…where? I thought. Spying them out of the corner of my eye, I was about to call them to me when a surging wave of pain inundated me. Compared to what the Night Sister had done to me, this was by far the worst. And even as I screamed, Mendax’s Singing was interrupted when he spoke, almost conversationally.
“You see, the Rur crystal also allows me to utilize people as if they were themselves kyber crystals. Like Jennira and her brood-chattel. And in conjunction with the pontite that Jennira and her sister Julwynn have provided me, an entire
planet is mine to enthrall.” Both Mendax and the Night Sister stood above me as I writhed in agony. “And now, Zearic, before you die, know that I will make suffer your wife and your daughter, that they will plead for death, a death that I will deny them. And they will experience torments unending…and they will have you to thank.” Again, Mendax laughed.
Involuntarily, I closed my eyes against the agony that I anticipated to come…
And suddenly, I began to feel a comfortable warmth, healing coursing throughout my body, muscle, tendons, and ligaments mending themselves as my body felt…rejuvenated. Looking up at Mendax and Jennira, I could see that they were both confused. And on the periphery of my vision, I noticed that the Rur crystal’s glow no longer cast the eerie, ill green light about. From the core of the crystal, a pure golden radiance began to shine. I couldn’t help but smile.
“…By the Emperor’s ghost…” Mendax’s voice held disbelief, his Singing no longer effective. Besides him, the Night Sister looked about in fear.
“M…master? What’s happened?” Her black eyes looked haunted.
And that’s when I heard Karm’s Singing. And I wasn’t alone in doing so. Jennira’s mouth dropped in utter astonishment. And as I stood, I saw Mendax retreating towards the far tunnel. Calling my lightsabers to my hand I ignited them, the sapphire and silver blades casting shadows across the witch’s fallen face. Karm stood beside me, his baritone voice resplendent, his golden blade glowing like a newborn star.
“Great timing. Thanks.” I spoke quietly.
“Don’t mention it.” He said easily. Louder, “Jennira, surrender.”
“A Night Sister would rather
die than be taken by the likes of you fools.” She said haughtily as she adopted an aggressive stance with her saberstaff.
Karm’s eyes bored into Jennira’s. “Julwynn would object to that.” He continued as the witch’s face changed from arrogance to shock. “You see, she didn’t
surrender; she came to us
willingly.” Karm’s smile took on an almost vicious slant. “I guess that you don’t know your sister half as well as you’d thought.”
Jennira’s entire body twitched, her face assumed a broken look. “No.” She said quietly. Then, as if a conflagration had ignited, the Night Sister shrieked, a howling keen that almost deafened us.
“
NO!!!” And Jennira began to Sing, a torrent that threatened to subsume Karm and I, her saberstaff blades a continuous blazing crimson beating in cadence with her Song.
Screaming in order to be heard, Karm put his head next to mine, “She’s trying to wrest control of the crystals from me!” Looking at Rur, the crystal had resumed a green glow, albeit faint. “She’s using her own life-energies as well as the Force!” Force winds born of Jennira’s Singing buffeted us, threatening to break us against the wall. Both Karm and I went down to one knee. “Zearic…I’m holding control of the crystals but barely.” I could hardly hear Karm despite the fact that he had to scream at the top of his lungs.
I fought against the storm, squinting my eyes, hoping that a plan would take root.
Think dammit! We couldn’t move; using the Force, I thrust my lightsaber at the Night Sister, throwing the blue blade at her. Right before it impaled her, my saber rebounded as if it had hit an invisible wall. I knew that Karm couldn’t release his own lightsaber and risk losing the Ancient One. And, in the back of my mind, I had a singular thought.
The dagger… Grabbing the hilt, I reversed my grip and held it by the blade. And with a powerful flick of my arm, I sent the dagger end-over-end at Jennira. She must have expected her Force Storm to protect her as it had against my lightsaber; her face didn’t change from its furious scream.
Suddenly, the air around us was silent, both Karm and I stepping forward against the gale that no longer battered against us. Jennira’s eyes looked shocked for a moment…but then the life left them as she collapsed to the ground. The black stone dagger had buried itself to the hilt in her forehead.
Calling my lightsaber to my hand, I had to physically retrieve my dagger from the Night Sister’s body. Meanwhile, Karm was busy removing the Rur crystal from Mendax’s staff. Once detached, he placed it in a deep pocket of his combat smock. “Karm…where to now? I can’t sense Mendax…”
As if anticipating my question, he was already walking towards the far tunnel. “This way.” Again, Karm’s baritone voice Sang. Clearly, it was a healing Song, as it helped to assuage the agony that I’d suffered under Mendax’s Singing. I thanked him again as we ran down the tunnel, greasy and rusted pipes lining the entire passageway, small billowing clouds of vapor condensing around the ceiling. His head turned sideways, a grin on his face. “No problem. Maybe I can teach you next to gargle.”
I gave a short, appreciative laugh. “Why not?” With the Force flowing from me, I could feel three life signs in front of us, unmoving as if they were expecting us…
As the industrialized tunnel opened to the next antechamber, the walls changed back to the megalithic structures of the hive-spires. And once within I pulled up in shock. Mendax was standing there unconcerned but I looked past him at the other two people in the room. One was Mellichae, his cybernetic arm whole and grasping his pulsating saber. But his left arm was locked around the neck of the third person: Jorya. She was bloodied and bruised, one eye almost completely swollen shut, her lower armor all but missing, the femur of her right leg jutting out through a savage, ragged gash. She had a pair of binders around her wrists.
No…! Dear One!“Karmak, Zearic. You will
both drop your swords and hand to me the Rur crystal.” Mendax pivoted his head and then addressed Karm directly, “If there is even a
hint of Singing or using the Force, I will have Mellichae run the Togruta through.”
I stood there, hesitant. I didn’t know what to do… To his credit, Karm did not Sing…and neither did he relinquish the Rur crystal. “I cannot do that, Mendax.”
I knew that he was right. “Karm…” My voice was borderline pleading; I knew that we could NOT give Mendax the crystal…but I feared for my daughter…
“So be it… Mellichae, kill that tralk.” Mendax’s voice was flat, impassive.
Smiling and quicker than the eye could see, the Zabrak held out his left arm, gripping Jorya by the neck, his right arm holding his raised lightsaber, the red blade poised to cut her down. And laughing a gravelly, incredibly deep laugh, his right arm fell.
