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The bright sun of Mantooine sank deep below the mountains, covering the landscape in a blanket of darkness. The small town of Guild was still a bustle of life, aircars and speeder bikes whizzed by a tall, muscular man as he stepped briskly onto an old-fashioned slide walk. He brushed past the busy sentients, and took a deep breath, basking in the glow of their life-force. Life he would gladly take from them, or trap within them for eternity.
But they would have to wait, for he already had his next victims lined up. He had caught Two Jedi this week, on his own homeworld! A gift from the Force, he was sure. His eyelids drooped in the shrouds of his cloak, as he daydreamed of ways to torture and kill his guests. Or, should the credit chip flip the other way, to freeze them forever in life. Allowing a small smile to form on his lips as he rounded a corner, the dark haired man headed down the street towards his home. The house was little more than a small hut, formed of sandstone bricks, and old fashioned doors that had to be opened with the twist of a knob. While his little one room home was the very holo of a humble dwelling, the basement was a different matter entirely.
Whistling softly to himself, he shuffled across the quaint living room, and headed resolutely towards the basement door. The door opened with a creak, and he stepped onto the metallic stairs, closing the door behind him.
Lord Sidious would be arriving in the morning, so he'd have to offer up his Jedi sacrifices tonight.
****
Deep in the cold confines of the vast horrifying basement, Helaine Trillium lay motionless on her rickety cot, staring up at the gray metallic ceiling for answers to her mind’s ceaseless wanderings. Gentle streams of salty tears escaped her soft blue eyes as she wondered what had happened to the Galaxy in the past few months. How could an order that existed for a thousand generations, begin to vanish in the blink of an eye? How could a man of prophecy turn so devastatingly evil?
How could an innocent-looking gray lizard block the very essence of life?
The ceiling held no answers, so she rolled over onto her side, her golden brown hair hanging over the side of the cot. She stared at the steel gray wall, wondering if the cell beyond held her Master, Lanelle Caine. The Council had sent them to Mantooine for hiding, and at first it seemed like a safe place. Until the mad man came along, with his henchman and his Force-forsaken ysalamiri. She and Lanelle had not given up without a fight, killing at least four of the lackeys. Unfortunately, she and her Master were grossly outnumbered, and without the Force, they were an easier catch then usual.
Next to her cot lay her glasses, the man had allowed her to keep them, probably so she could see his horrors clearly. She didn't necessarily need glasses; she could see fine without them, though details were often blurred. A simple surgery would fix the problem, but Master Caine thought the surgery to be cosmetic, so she would not allow Helaine to get it. Sometimes Helaine thought her Master wanted her to look ugly; she could only wear tunics two sizes big for her, and her hair tied up into a tight bun. Helaine was pretty sure that her Master's regulations on her appearance had something to do with the Council's rules of dating, or the fact that Master Caine had had a baby at the age of sixteen. It was probably a mixture of both, and Helaine hated it. Shy as she was, she actually did want the boys to look. She wished Master Caine trusted her to make the right decisions. But what did it matter now? She and Master Caine were going to be killed by the sociopathic Jedi hunter soon enough. A fresh sob escaped her lips, and she cradled her head in her arms. It was then that she heard footsteps down the hall, slow and precise. Helaine froze, immediately trying to stretch out with her senses, only to hit a cold, hard wall. Sithin lizard. She groaned to herself as the cell door opened, and the footsteps came to a stop. Helaine lay very still, forcing herself to breathe evenly. Maybe if they thought she was asleep, she wouldn't have to face them yet.
She could feel their eyes burning into her back, causing an almost-itch to form between her shoulder blades. The sensation was maddening, even more so in the silence of the room. One of her assailants took a step forward, his steady breathing reverberating loudly in the silence of the room. A second pair of footsteps entered the room, accompanied by a whispered, "Is she awake, Valdemar?"
The first assailant took a deep breath. "Perhaps," Valdemar's smooth voice responded. He crossed the cell, to kneel beside her cot. He ever so gently ran his slender fingers through Helaine's brown hair, causing goose bumps to raise up on her arms. "So young," he murmured. "So beautiful." He looked up at his henchman. "Laman, how would you kill her?"
Laman blinked his hazel eyes. "I..." he gulped. "We don't know that we are killing her, yet, do we?" He stammered out.
"True..." Valdemar's deceptively gentle voice surmised.
Helaine couldn't hold still any longer, Valdemar's cold hands were still going through her hair. Shivering, she rolled away from him.
"Well," Valdemar's lips curled into a cruel smile. "She's awake." His dark gray eyes scanned her. "How are you doing, my dear?"
Seeking security, Helaine huddled in her corner, ignoring him.
"She's speechless." Valdemar reached into his dark cloak, producing a syringe. "This, Helaine, is a Force suppressant drug, developed by my own team of researchers." He grasped her arm, and rolled up her light blue tunic's sleeve. "Ysalamiri are a nuisance to haul around."
Helaine tried to wriggle out of his hold, but he quickly jabbed the needle into her arm, causing her to hiss as the fluid rushed into her arm. Valdemar still held her arm as he withdrew the needle and tossed it to the floor.
"How long does it last?" Laman asked as Valdemar roughly hauled Helaine to her feet.
"Little more than two days," Valdemar replied. "But don't get your hopes up, Helaine. You will be dead, or frozen long before that."
Helaine wasn't getting her hopes up as he dragged her out the door, she followed him like a dead weight She knew she should probably at least try to fight him, but there was no hope. Valdemar was responsible for over a hundred Jedi deaths; why should she, a mere padawan escape her fellows’ fate? He would kill her, or freeze her. Dying was the better option. If she did fight, he would kill her anyway. Perhaps by a blaster, a point-blank shot to the heart for a swift death, which would be preferable to whatever heinous torture he could think up. Coward, Helaine’s inner voice accused her. A Jedi knows no fear. Helaine shook her head, then rebutted, Only when she has the Force. Helaine paused in her musings as Valdemar led her down the dimly lit corridor. Would it be better to die fighting, or to go peacefully?
Helaine tried to imagine what Master Yoda would do, or her own Master Caine. She couldn't picture Master Yoda going peacefully, or pounding Valdemar with a gimer stick until Yoda died. Master Caine might go peacefully though; she was always so calm. Helaine glanced at Valdemar, wondering how she, Helaine Trillium, should go. She had always been a quiet, shy girl. Never the heroic sharp witted beautiful heroine in the holovids or even brave like some of the Jedi she knew. She was a pretty hot hand with a lightsaber though, actually having won a few competitions. For that fact alone, her peers thought she was snobby, rather than shy. She couldn't imagine how they could draw that conclusion though; she had nothing to be snobby about. Other padawans had won contests, some much more than her.
Looking back at her life, she would definitely go quietly, melt into the crowds, and be nothing more than a statistic. Something inside her rebelled at that. She didn't want that to be the summary of her life. "Lived in silence, died in silence." Her defiance kindled, she began twisting her arm, trying to get free of Valdemar's iron grip.
"What is this? She fights!" Valdemar said enthusiastically twisting her arm until she grimaced in pain. He pulled her close, his hot breath brushing her earlobe. "It might be well for you to know that I enjoy it when they struggle."
Helaine used her free arm to elbow him in the gut. He caught her in mid thrust, and wrapped his spindly fingers around that arm. Then he pinned her hands behind her back, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep them there. With his free arm, he pulled a vibroblade from his cloak, and pressed the point in between her shoulder blades. With a slight thrust, he jabbed the point about half a centimeter into her skin, reveling in the sharp intake of breath Helaine took in. He leaned his head close again, caressing her cheek with his lips. "Fight me all you want, my dear. I shall love seeing how far this blade can go with every wiggle."
Helaine shuddered, the touch of his lips worse than the vibroblade’s sting. He prodded her further down the corridor, and into a brightly lit room, causing Helaine to squint in order to see her surroundings better. A sickeningly sweet aroma invading her nostrils. Then she saw the cause of the stench. The room was lined with corpses, all displayed in still motion, like a holo museum. A complete skeleton leaned over an ale mug, his hollow eye sockets searching the contents. Another was propelled up by a repulsor field, raising his lightsaber in a weak attack. Helaine's stomach convulsed into dry heaves, and she fervently squeezed her eyes shut.
"Just think Helaine," Valdemar calmly reported. "This could be you and your Master, forever displaying your weaknesses to the world. What do you think?"
Just what I always wanted, Helaine thought sarcastically to herself, but her tongue remained still. Valdemar twisted the vibroblade, causing the dull pain in her back to sharpen considerably. Biting her lip, Helaine fought back a squeak.
"I asked you a question." Valdemar said harshly. "What do you think?"
Helaine's mind raced as she tried to think of a suitable answer. "It's horrible," she said softly, preparing herself for another vibroblade thrust.
It didn't come. "Thank you," Valdemar said, sounding pleased.
Helaine felt a slight breeze from a door opening, and she obediently preceded Valdemar into the next room. Even without the Force, she could sense an air of struggle, of pain. Helaine was debating whether or not to open her eyes, when an all too familiar voice called out, "Padawan!"
Helaine's eyes flew open to regard her Master, who was bound to a short metallic chair. "Master?" She asked softly. She was just thinking about wrenching free from Valdemar, when he pulled her closer.
"Looks like we're just in time, Helaine." He nodded to Laman. "Do you have the credit chip with you?"
Credit chip? Helaine wondered, catching her Master's blue-green eyes. Without the Force, she had to rely on human instinct alone to read the soft light in Lanelle's eyes. Her Master radiated an aura of calm, acceptance. Her learnedeyes burned into Helaine's, admonishing her without spoken words. Calm. She needed to be calm.
Helaine took a shuddering breath as Valdemar pulled the vibroblade from her back, and shoved it back into his robes. He kept a tight grip on her as Laman handed him the credit chip.
With his free hand, he pressed it into Helaine's hand, forcing her to hold it. "You, my dear, will determine your Master’s fate."
Tears stinging her eyes, Helaine shook her head. "No..."
"Oh yes," Valdemar released her hand. "Will it be life," He asked, a cruel smile tugging the corners of his mouth. "Or Death?"
The chip fell from her still hand and dropped to the floor with a soft clatter. Helaine closed her eyes as Valdemar rested his chin on her shoulder. "You have tossed the chip." Helaine clenched her fists, squeezing moisture out of her eyes, but would not open them... "Won’t you see what you tossed?" Valdemar asked calmly, digging his fingers into her arm. "Open your eyes, Helaine."
Taking a deep breath, Helaine opened her blue eyes. The chip lay down heads up.
"It’s heads, Helaine," Valdemar whispered into her ear. "You have killed your Master."
"No!" Helaine screamed, wiggling in his arms. "No!"
Helaine wrenched herself free only to be thrown to the ground and have her hands cuffed behind her. Her Master was calling to her, but she could not make out the words. Her blood was pounding in her head as she lay it against the cold floor. She had killed her Master. Lanelle had been stern, but Helaine never doubted that she loved her. She was like her mother, her best friend. And given the chance, she had killed her. Logically, she knew it the toss was completely random, and Valdemar had all but forced her to toss it. But with the Force gone, her Master’s life on the line, and a burning pain in her back, it was hard to think rationally.
Valdemar had his hands pressed to her shoulders, keeping her down. Again, he produced the vibroblade, holding it before her eyes. "I like your spirit, Helaine." He stroked her cheek with the vibroblade, like a tender caress that drew blood. "The young are so daring, so courageous." His dark gray eyes bore into hers. "They think themselves indestructible." He paused then continued on in a very soft, gentle voice. "Are you indestructible, Helaine?"
Helaine stared at him, moisture leaking out of her eyes. She searched his cold gray eyes, trying to figure out how to respond. Very faintly, as if from another world, Lanelle called to her.
"Padawan, do not listen to him!" Lanelle practically screeched from her chair. "You cannot fear him..." Laman crossed the room to her, roughly covering her mouth with his hand.
Helaine took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Lanelle was right, she could not give into fear. But looking into Valdemar's eyes was like facing the Darkside itself and he wasn't even a Sith!
A humorless smile tugged the corners of Valdemar's mouth. "Yes, Helaine, you must not fear me." His gray eyes glittered. "It would go against the Jedi code." He stroked the other side of her face with the vibroblade, delighting in the bright red stream of blood it drew, and the tensing of Helaine's muscles. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I have my own version of that code, Padawan Helaine." He paused. "Would you like to hear it?"
A protest lay still on her tongue. She merely stared at him, or rather beyond him, trying to envision a place of warmth, of comfort, anything but this cold prison.
Valdemar touched the vibroblade to her ear. "Answer me, Helaine, before you loose the ability to listen."
Helaine shuddered, offering him the faintest hint of a nod.
"Very good." Valdemar withdrew the blade, still keeping it in Helaine's line of vision. "There is no peace, there is panic. There is no knowledge, there is ignorance. There is no serenity, there is fear. There is no Force, there is only death." He studied her, his lips twisting into a cruel smile. "How do you like it?"
Helaine glared at him. "It is wrong, you have it backwards."
"Oh?" Valdemar taunted, raising an eyebrow. "Tell me, Helaine. Can you feel the Force now?"
"No," Helaine winced. "You blocked me from it."
"That's right," Valdemar said softly. "I did. You know why I can do that?"
Helaine shook her head, more afraid of refusing to answer, than of giving him what he wanted.
He leaned his head close to hers, until his lips brushed her ear. He lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. "The Force fears me."
The words hit her like a knife in the stomach, raising a chill up her spine. Not only were they horrible, they were blasphemous. She glared at him, wiggling her hands in the binders. "It does not!"
Valdemar swept the chip into his hand and rose to his feet, laughing maliciously . He looked down at her. "Now to tend to your Master." He beckoned Laman away from Lanelle, giving him directions. "See if you can hold the apprentice still."
"No!" Helaine struggled to her feet as Laman hurried over to her.
Valdemar watched in amusement as Laman caught Helaine in his arms, trying his best to hold her still. He stepped over to the pair, holding the vibroblade to her throat. "Please hold still, my dear." He pressed his hand to her cheek. "Save the struggling for me."
Helaine shuddered, turning her face away. "Master!" She caught sight of Lanelle, her lips quivering. "I'm sorry!"
Lanelle gave her a level gaze. "For what? I do not hold you responsible. Don't ever think I do!" Her face softened. "Stay strong, Helaine. This will all be over soon."
We'll be dead soon. Helaine thought bitterly to herself. But they were both blocked to the Force. If they die like that, how could they become one with it? Helaine nodded to Lanelle, not wanting to voice her fear. Valdemar would love to hear it.
"Your padawan seems doubtful," Valdemar commented, approaching Lanelle's chair. "As she should." He folded his arms. "What happens when a Jedi dies, without having contact with the Force?"
Lanelle looked up to meet Valdemar's eyes. "They become one with the Force. Just because I cannot touch it, does not mean it is not there. It is always there." She looked pointedly at Helaine.
"How can you know that for sure?" Valdemar's lips twisted into a sneer. "Did the Force tell you?"
Lanelle met his gaze calmly. "You cannot taunt me."
"Of course, I can't," Valdemar said smoothly, clasping his hands behind his back. "You are the Master, so therefore infallible. Because nothing shakes a Jedi Master." He looked at her sideways. "Not even the possible death of her beloved Padawan." He unclasped his hands and tossed the chip, catching it in one hand. "Shall we see how she fares?"
He pressed the chip into her hand. Sighing, Lanelle tossed it. The coin fell to the ground tails up. Valdemar looked down at it, then looked across the room to Helaine. "Tails, the apprentice lives."
He smirked. "So the Padawan kills the Master, and the Master saves the Padawan. Interesting."
"What kind of life is hibernation?" Lanelle questioned rhetorically. "No, I would not wish that on Helaine."
Valdemar shrugged. "Let us not forget who tossed the chip. Laman, place her in the chamber."
Laman dragged Helaine towards a pit in the far end of the room, surrounded by computers and full of wires. Laman prodded her on top of it, as a growing fear dropped Helaine's stomach. She was going to be frozen? For how long? She looked at Valdemar, wondering what was up his sleeve.
Valdemar dug into his robes once more, producing the handle of a lightsaber. With a snap-hiss, a purplish blade sparked to life. It was her lightsaber. "You recognize this, Helaine?"
Helaine bit her lip, nodding. "It is my lightsaber."
"Yes," Valdemar stroked the handle with his thumb. "Built by your own hands, for your own defense and protection of others." Valdemar pointed the blade at Lanelle. "Including your own Master." He paused. "How ironic is it that the apprentice’s blade kills the Master?"
"But her hand does not wield it." Lanelle said stoically. "Helaine, this is in no way your fault, do not listen to him. Always remember I love you..." She winced as Valdemar touched the blade to her abdomen. She vowed not to scream, if only for Helaine's sake.
Tears streamed down Helaine's cheeks. "Master!" She screamed as Valdemar pressed the blade deeper.
"Turn your head, Helaine." Lanelle said as loudly as she could, though her voice was weakening. "Don't look."
"I love you," Helaine sobbed as she watched her Master’s face contort with pain as the blade dug further into her abdomen. Slowly she turned her head, not able to watch anymore. Seconds past like hours as Valdemar did his work. The silence was growing unbearable, and she was about to turn her head, when the worst sound in the galaxy pierced her ears. It was the tortured scream of Lanelle, when he finally broke her. Helaine's chest swelled, and fresh sobs racked her body as Valdemar barked a command to Laman, who quickly uncuffed her hands, as the floor began to descend.
A sudden intense cold enveloped her body, casting her into darkness.
Copyright 2002 by Luney.
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