He didn't want to die.
He didn't want this to be the last thing he ever did. He didn't want his final memory to be of this. He wanted to see Aubrie again. Zule. Scout. He wanted to go back to them. He wanted to feel something other than hate.
But he couldn't live... Not while Collan was still alive.
He clenched his jaw, gripped the speeder, and pushed. The front of the speeder passed through the blue ripple of the bubble shield, and within seconds the crude raft followed.
He wasn't turning back.
...
At the checkpoint in front of the temple. Three guards stood near the primary sensor relay, leaned against a half-melted durasteel crate, helmets off, rifles slung lazily across their backs.
"Listen, I'm telling you," said the first one, a broad-shouldered man with half his armor undone. "You can deep-fry nerf nuggets in engine fluid. You just gotta swirl it fast enough and take it out quickly."
The second, skinnier and perpetually irritated, pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's not how physics works, Thragg. That's how third-degree burns and explosive diarrhea work. You can't fry anything in something that melts armor plating."
Thragg frowned. "Yeah, but you can if you do it real fast. The outside gets crisp, the inside stays chewy, perfect right?."
The third guard, leaning with his boots kicked up on a crate, chimed in without opening his eyes. "Are you two seriously arguing about this again? Last week it was whether or not you could make toast with a blaster set to stun. Next week it'll be boiling noodles in a lava pit."
"I never said you should boil noodles in a lava pit," Thragg shot back. "I said if you had to, you could. Emergency ration logic. Warzone cooking."
Skinny raised a hand. "Okay, so let's pretend, just for a second, that you're not a complete lunatic. Let's say somehow you do manage to swirl nerf nuggets in liquid coolant without losing all ten fingers and your last three brain cells. You still wouldn't get a good sear! You'd get radiation poisoning and an early grave."
Thragg crossed his arms. "You'd have perfectly cooked nuggets."
"You're literally the worst person I've ever met in my life..." Skinny said face palming.
The third guard opened one eye, finally annoyed enough to engage. "If we're talking field cooking, the best method's always been wrapping your food in foil and sticking it under the repulsorlift. Adds a nice crisp to it."
All three nodded slowly. That actually didn't sound too bad.
Then the console in front of them beeped.
Skinny leaned forward and tapped the screen. "Uh... what's that?"
Thragg squinted at the flickering image. "Looks like... a raft? On wheels? No—wait, that's a speeder dragging something?"
"Why's it bouncing like that?" the third asked. "Is it possessed?"
The raft suddenly rocketed forward on the sensor screen.
"Okay, now it's definitely possessed," Thragg muttered.
Then came the sound. A distant, high-pitched whirr followed by a sharp pew.
And then another. And another.
Blaster bolts ripped through the air—dozens in perfect succession—slamming into each of their chests before any of them could reach for their weapons. They all staggered back, clutching at the smoking holes in their armor. As they crumpled in unison, all three managed to gasp the same words.
"Son of a bitch..."
On the back of that raft was Jaden who had used the force to turn the speeder on and was now on the makeshift raft he'd built with a rotary blaster canon fixed on the back of the speeder. As he rocketed forward he shot dozens of blaster bolts every second hitting numerous droids and mercenaries. Sadly the element of surprise didn't last and the rest of them managed to get into cover but that didn't stop Jaden from continuing to fire until his weapo.
They tried to fire back at him, but between him being an extremely fast target and him peppering them with numerous blaster bolts they didn't have much of a chance. In the end Jaden mostly took out the droids who were designed not to take cover but to keep firing. He fired until his weapon overheated, The moment it did overheat Jaden moved it back onto the raft; he'd crossed just over half the distance until the checkpoint, any closer would be too risky.
The next stage of his plan involved slapping the device he'd attached to the back of his speeder and watching it disappear. It was his cloaking device. He'd put it on the speeder so that they couldn't shoot it down. Why? Because of this.
Jaden ignited his saber and cut the vines holding the raft to the speeder and watched as it sped off. For a moment Jaden had to deal with hundreds if not thousands of blaster bolts all being directed to him. He deflected them with his lightsaber before channelling the force through his body and bursting forward. Staying in the same spot was suicide so he needed to keep going; besides he'd need to take advantage of the distraction that was about to—
*BOOOM*
Jaden watched as a massive exposition emanated from the checkpoint destroying the sensor and even disabling the tank. Jaden had attached nearly every single thermal detonator and explosive device to the speeder; with the speeder invisible they couldn't shoot it and now it had created a massive opening. One he planned to take full advantage of. He surged forward, he focused everything—every thought, every painful memory, every shard of anger—into the Force and pushed. The ground blurred beneath his boots as he sprinted through the blackened path, eyes locked on the figures staggering through the haze.
The first mercenary wasn't ready. He stumbled sideways, half-blind, clutching his ears. Jaden's blade ignited with a hiss and came up in an arc, carving clean through the man's torso from hip to shoulder. The body fell in two halves, steam rising where the blade seared through flesh and armor.
Jaden didn't stop.
Another came up with his blaster shaking, he couldn't even hear himself scream. Jaden swerved low under the barrel, planted his palm on the man's chest, and drove the lightsaber up through his jaw and out the top of his skull. A flash of purple, then the body crumpled like dropped meat.
He turned and parried a bolt from behind, the saber twisting in his grip as the energy bounced into a fuel canister and ignited it in a secondary explosion. The shockwave knocked two mercs off their feet. Jaden pounced on them before they could recover. He slashed downward, severing the first man's arm at the elbow before plunging the blade straight into his chest. The second tried to roll away, but Jaden leapt after him and brought his foot down on the man's knee, shattering it with a sickening crack. The scream never came—the lightsaber ran through his throat an instant later.
Blaster fire started to pick up again—more organized this time. Jaden deflected one, then two, before vaulting off a broken crate. In midair, he hurled his saber like a disc; it spun horizontally, the violet blade slicing through the rifle of one shooter before continuing into his gut. Jaden landed, yanked the saber back with a sharp pull of his hand, and caught it just in time to block a vibroaxe aimed for his head.
The merc wielding it was a giant, at least a head taller and covered in heavy plating. Jaden ducked under a second swing, then rolled behind the man's flank. He gripped the saber in both hands and drove it through the side of the armor, wrenching it back out with a flare of sparks. The man bellowed and twisted around—Jaden responded by jumping, twisting midair, and slashing the blade across his neck in a single motion.
A group of droids and mercenaries started filing down the stairs of the temple. They raised their weapons and began to fire, one of them hit Jaden in the shoulder. He growled and then roared as he raised before hands and then yanked them off their feet and down the stairs. Rushing forward he made quick work of them before he cleared the staircase in a single jump.
Deflecting more blaster shots he then rushed towards a merc and impaled him through the stomach. He grabbed him by the collar and turned him, blocking the blaster fire of someone who tried to get the jump on him. He then drew the dead Mercs blaster pistol out before firing and hitting the other in the head.
Jaden kept moving up the temple, it was massive so he had to go quickly before reinforcements arrived. Slashing through another droid he then thrust his hand forward and sent two men into the temple wall, shattering their body on impact.
"Reinforcement we need reinforcements!" He heard one of the mercenaries cry over the comms.
He didn't give him a chance to speak again and crushed the device in the mercs hand using the force. He then grabbed the man in a force choke. "Where is Eislo!" Jaden spat his eyes glowing the same sickly yellow that afflicted all Sith.
"I don't know!" The merc cried out.
Jaden channeled more pain and anger through him before it erupted from his hands as Force Lightning. The mercenary screamed and cried as his body convulsed. "Tell me now!" Jaden shouted.
"H-He's I-In the main b-building..." the main stuttered badly as his body continued to convulse. "P-Please don't h-hurt—"
Jaden snapped his neck before dropping his body to the ground. He had a destination he needed to go there. He stepped over the twitching corpse, smoke rising from the charred flesh beneath the man's armor. The scent of ozone and burnt skin clung to the air, thick as smoke. He could hear boots stomping inside the main temple—new bodies, more guns, reinforcements scrambling to contain what none of them could. His blood ran hot. His shoulder throbbed, but the pain faded under the power swelling in his gut.
Rage.
Hate.
Pain.
He stormed through the shattered entrance of the temple. The main chamber was wide, open, but flanked by large archways that led deeper in. Jaden barely had time to register it before two droids opened fire from the left side of the upper balcony.
He raised his left hand and clenched it into a fist.
The droids were yanked forward mid-blast, crashing down with a sickening clang onto the stone below. One of them tried to get up; Jaden finished it with a shot to the power core using the blaster pistol still in his grip.
A mercenary charged in from the right, vibroblade in hand. Jaden holstered the pistol, turned to meet him, and caught the downward swing with his lightsaber. Sparks flew. The merc reared back to strike again, but Jaden stepped forward and slammed his elbow into the man's throat, crushing his windpipe. The merc dropped the blade, gasping, but Jaden grabbed him by the vest and dragged him forward into a brutal headbutt. Bone cracked. The lightsaber pierced him through the chest a moment later.
Another merc behind him raised a rifle. Jaden dropped the dying body, spun around, and threw the lightsaber at the shooter. It spun like a wheel of fire, cleaving through the weapon and searing into the man's shoulder. Before the man could scream, Jaden was already moving, he jumped and delivered a spinning knee to the merc's temple, knocking him cold.
The lightsaber returned to his hand mid-step.
A heavy droid came lumbering down the opposite corridor, its rotary cannon already whirring. Jaden didn't slow down. He dove to the side, rolled under a stream of red bolts, and landed beside a fallen vibroaxe. He grabbed it with the Force and hurled it through the droid, it ended up slashing through the barrel making the gun explode, Jaden then shot forward and carved a deep diagonal slash across its chassis. After which he continued rushing down the corridor until three mercs rushed him from the right, one firing while the others tried to flank. Jaden blocked two shots, and redirected the third into the lead attacker's face. He moved in a blur and grabbed the nearest attacker by the collar, drove his lightsaber into the man's gut, twisted behind him, and shot the second one in the kneecap with the pistol. As the man dropped screaming, Jaden yanked the lightsaber free from the first kill and spun it behind him in a reverse grip, dragging it up through the last merc's spine. As he walked past the second man he slashed his lightsaber out and cut the man's head off.
The corridor echoed with screams, boots, and blaster fire. Jaden had more of an advantage in here as he couldn't easily be surrounded, as long as he kept moving that was.
And take advantage of that he did.
He brutalised and killed anyone that came in his path, even going out of his way to cause them more pain before their death. He twisted the legs of a mercenary until the bones popped from his skin; his screams echoed out through the corridor until Jaden silenced them with his lightsaber. Using the force to amplify his senses he could feel an ambush waiting for him up ahead. And sure enough, two droids dropped from the ceiling, landing on either side of him. One went for his leg, the other raised its wrist blaster. Jaden pivoted— though it was too slow. A bolt grazed his left side, burning straight through the fabric and into the flesh beneath. He grunted, pain flashing through him, but used it. He reached with the Force, grabbed the first droid's head, and crushed it mid-lunge. The second tried to retreat backwards to gain some space , but Jaden sprinted forward and drop-kicked it into a stone pillar. The droid shattered on impact.
His breathing was getting heavier. His wounds were stacking. His muscles burned and ached bbut the dark side numbed the pain and continued to empower him. It poured into him like fire through his veins. Another wave of guards poured in, four mercs, two droids. Jaden raised his left hand and unleashed a savage burst of Force lightning. The blue energy crackled through the air and hit the lead droid first, then forked out into the two mercenaries behind it. They screamed and convulsed, muscles locking up before they collapsed, smoking. The remaining merc fired in panic—Jaden deflected the bolt with his saber, closed the gap, and drove a punch into the man's ribs. He heard something break. The follow-up was a savage uppercut that lifted the man into the air. He stabbed him through the chest before he landed.
The last droid tried to run.
Jaden yanked it back with the Force, slamming it into the ground so hard its limbs snapped off.
He was getting close now, he could feel it, he could hear a lot of activity ahead; likely the reinforcements trying to set up a trap for him. It wouldn't work. He would kill them all. As he entered the central hall, alarms started to blare. Reinforcements were coming fast and like he suspected they set up a trap for him. Jaden could see the far side; another corridor leading to the main buildingbut the hall in front of it was filling with enemies. At least a few dozen: mercenaries, droids, and two armored soldiers with energy shields and heavy stun batons.
They came at him all at once.
Jaden pushed his pain down—using it as power— and ran forward. He leapt into the air and slammed into one of the droids feet-first, sending it crashing into two mercs behind it. He rolled with the landing, lashed out with the Force, and slammed another pair of mercs into opposite walls, their spines snapping like twigs. He turned and deflected a bolt aimed for his head, redirected it into a droid's neck, and then dashed into a low slide beneath another's legs. Coming up behind one of the riot troopers, he grabbed the man's helmet and ripped it off, then smashed it into his face before driving the lightsaber up under his chin.
The other trooper came at him hard, swinging with the stun baton. Jaden dodged left, took a glancing blow to the shoulder, and roared in pain as he felt his muscles convulsing. He dropped low, planted his hand on the ground, and kicked out the man's legs. The riot trooper fell, but Jaden caught his arm mid-fall and twisted until the bone snapped. The scream was deafening. He finished it with a pistol shot to the back of the head.
He launched a widespread force lightning that caught a good number of them. Channelling more and more power into it his own hands started to burn and his finger tips blacken.
He was slowing now. His breath came ragged. A fresh burn sizzled across his leg from a missed dodge. A merc grabbed him from behind—Jaden elbowed him in the jaw, turned, and forced the saber into his gut, but another came at him from the side.
Too slow.
The second attacker tackled him into the wall. Jaden grunted as his back hit the stone. He dropped the pistol and his lightsaber. The merc raised his blade, but Jaden caught it with his hand—which carved up his palm—and redirected the swing, and headbutted the man hard enough to draw blood from his own nose.
He used the force to get his lightsaber back and ignited it before he stabbed forward, ending it.
He stood there, hunched over, body shaking.
Jaden's boots dragged slightly as he approached the towering doors at the end of the corridor, the pain in his side worsening with every breath. His robes were slashed, soaked in blood, charred from fire and plasma. His left hand hung limp at his side, he could still use it but it hurt unbearably. His jaw clenched as he stood before the entrance.
There was no going back.
He lifted his good hand, reached out with the Force, and the massive stone doors groaned open.
The chamber beyond was massive—an ancient circular hall filled with dark banners, statues of long-forgotten Sith lords, and flickering braziers casting shadows across the floor..
And surrounding it hundreds.
(AN: Too tired to make another AN.)
Support wooo bye bye.
Patreon.com/captainalfie78works