The aid does not come without its price as Skorne fires on Val with his purple-blue plasma pistol, unleashing a torrent of rippling coherent energy. Val quickly dashes past the firepower as it pelts fragments of the floor into the air, hot on his heels as he pivots on his left foot and spins around to yank his sword free from the metal deck securing the blade where previously his sword was knocked from his grasp.

Rotating back just in time, Val sidesteps to the right as Skorne rushes him, attempting to spear Val to the floor just as Val waits long enough to grab Skorne by his helmet and sweep his legs out from under him. Skorne slams to the ground, watching his blaster spin along the floor a good eight feet from his location. Just then he can feel Val again hammer his body as Val pins Skorne down into the floor with his boot, unleashing another salvo of Telekinetic blows into Skorne’s battered body and dented armor shell.

Skorne reaches into his belt and three round grenades roll along the ground on two second fuses. Instantly the blast hurls Val and Skorne back across the platform as plumes of flashing blue-white light erupt, temporarily blinding both competitors while Q2 watches intently from his front row seat, head cocked resting upon his white glove.
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – DECK 3

While Val and Skorne are dazed, high above Gen and Elixis exchange blows as only a female’s agility can, sending kicks and punches into each other’s body. Elixis to her credit deflects many of Gen’s attempts to reclaim her lightsaber lost from view as she knees Gen under her chin then sends a thunderous heel kick, knocking Gen hard into the guardrails as her coat tears through the air and the metal wraps around the frame of her back.

With unmatched determination Gen ignores the pain and wipes the blood trickling down her lip, using the force to heal internal injuries that if not for her cloned hyper healing abilities would have broken a normal female from the inside out. It was because of her enhanced genetics that Gen was able to keep up with Elixis’s relentless assault but it was also her determination to bring Elixis down for the death of Terra.

Elixis charges towards Gen just as she hurls her body out of the path of the underside of Elixis’s serpentine boot. Waiting for just the right opportunity, Gen dives into Elixis and spears her to the floor, reaching behind her back towards Terra’s ornamental sheathed dagger. Elixis too reaches for her only weapon popping her looped edge from the center of her belt, stabbing Gen directly into her shoulder just as Gen almost has her grip around Terra’s dagger, forcing her to drop backward, clutching the shrapnel sticking out of her left injured shoulder.

ELIXIS – WHEN HISTORY TELLS OF YOUR DEMISE ZERIDIAN, IT WILL READ THAT THE STRONGEST FEMALE IN THE GALAXY DIDN’T REQUIRE THE AID OF A LIGHTSABER TO DISPATCH HER GREATEST ADVISARY!

Elixis overconfidently believes she has shifted the odds of the duel in her favor, returning to gaining her distance while Gen rips out Elixis’s weapon with a horrid scream of ache. Although the force begins to close up the wound, Gen’s nerve centers still trigger her arm to go temporarily numb as she reaches back behind her belt to grab Terra’s dagger with her right hand.

Elixis once again hurls her deadly Inferno Force Lightning and Force Dominion combination as Gen’s body is lifted once more skyward but this time Gen is wise to the tactic and absorbs the excruciating pain through gritted teeth while her leather outfit smokes, reaching its heat resistant limitations.

GEN – ALLOW ME TO FAMILARIZE YOU WITH A GIFT FROM MY DAUGHTER BITCH!

Just as Elixis attempts to place Gen over the pit, she sees through the heat distortions a shimmering sparkle of light just as she sees Terra’s razor sharp, twin edged dagger fly across and impale into and through her left shoulder as Gen uses the force to twist the knife, shearing through muscle and bone while blood begins to stream from Elixis’s wound rendering her left arm useless and shattering her concentration over her force assault dropping Gen to the ground with a hard thud.

Screaming in agony Elixis clutches her injury like a wounded crow favoring its wing. Her eyes flare with hatred as Gen coughs violently, gasping to retain the breath driven from her lungs. Elixis tries to channel her force offense but each time she focuses the pain in her arm shatters her concentration, leaving her completely vulnerable to attack.

Sensing the dark side flow through her veins, Elixis’s eyes burst with orange ethereal radiance as she powers through the pain and feeds off of it. Her platinum hair spirals like a cornucopia of angry serpents as a brighter, more intense barrage of coherent lightning not only erupts from her fingertips but completely encases her hands in its irradiating energy. The energized tendrils created are only by feeding on her dark side rage which is so incredibly violent that it slams into Gen once more and this time sets her clothing aflame, melting the leather into her milky white skin as the bands of gold surrounding her inner thighs brand into her flesh.

Gen knows that if she remains surrounded by this hellish web of dark side induced inferno not only will she be cooked alive but her breath will be chocked from her body inside the veil of distorted heat vapor already growing thick to cloud her vision as it dims in and out of focus. Desperately reaching into her belt she withdraws a small circular disc created by the Research and Development team at Versai Tech. Using Terra’s embedded dagger in Elixis’s shoulder as a source of conduction she swiftly tosses the magnetized disc directly towards Elixis’s chest as the device reveals a set of razor sharp prongs that shoot its legs into Elixis’s flesh, clean through her padded attire.

The embedded metallic appendages thrust Elixis from her focus and her lightning drops as she tries to tear out the menacing miniature parasite affixed to her body. She claws at the device in vain attempting to get a grip with her nails but its no use as the mechanism suddenly begins to emit a bluish radiance.

GEN – YOU WILL NOT EVADE THE VOID THIS TIME ELIXIS, RELISH EXTINCTION!

Gen hurls her own barrage of Force Twirl Lightning unobstructed as it slams into Elixis’s body while the device continues to build electricity. Suddenly the spinning tendrils emitted from Gen’s fingertips gather and swirl into the heart of the device as tiny snake like extensions of current spark and spread throughout Elixis’s body creating a web of energy and a band of pink and blue-white light travels from the device to the hilt of Terra’s dagger.

Then it happens…

As swiftly as Gen had released her energy does she stop and watch the combination of her offense take shape. Elixis at first believes that Gen is simply too weak to continue her assault as Elixis attempts to gather another wave of her immense fire energy, but she finds that suddenly she can no longer move as the device latched to her chest gives out a sharp whine. Then out of the blue the panels and mechanical contraptions around her begin to take on a life of their own while Gen latches on to the main guardrail behind her.

Before long Elixis’s eyes burst open in horrified shock as metal plates rip from the walls and floor, beginning to wrap around her body like steel girders. Gen tightens her grip as she feels the metal regions of her belt become affected by the growing energy field surrounding Elixis, Quickly taking the opportunity Gen recalls her lightsaber back into her hand and fastens it to her belt, spotting the edge of its triangular blades being pulled from under the machine.

Elixis starts to pant in traumatized shock as layer after layer of metal begins to build and encase her body, jutting outwards as the larger machinery slams into her and knocks her back a few more inches just as another projectile pelts her in the opposite direction until she is suddenly and quickly slammed from all angles while the apparatus in her chest whines louder and louder. Pieces of metal stick to her like flypaper closing off more and more of her peripheral vision with their building layers of twisted, knurled steel.

Claustrophobia overwhelms the Dark Lady of the Sith as she sees the last beam of light seal her in a solid ball of attached metal, turning her body into a human magnet. Completely sealed within her metallic prison she can feel the gargantuan sphere start to roll back and forth as more metal strips from the ground exposes the skeletal structure of Deck 3 while Gen holds on for dear life, straining against the pull of the metal attachments to her clothing and the tug on her lightsaber and belt.

As soon as the last shred of loose metallic debris disappears into the mesh of metal creating the globe encasing Elixis in its core, Gen gives a swift kick to the center of the sphere which sends the ball rolling backwards spinning Elixis’s screaming body in circles as she has no sense of direction or sight.

GEN – (talking to herself) My precious Terra…the circle of vindication is complete.

Given only the clues of movement and feeling the heat inside the shell increase, Elixis doesn’t realize that her life is about to come to a crashing end as the opposing guardrails of Deck 3 buckle under the immense pressure of the rolling collage of metal. Skorne snaps his helmet upward to Gen then watches the ball of metal threaten to roll off the platform and fall, knowing Elixis is trapped inside it. Elixis tries to conjure her Inferno Force lightning inside the ball to escape but her energy is absorbed and dissipated by the magnetic field surrounding her which leaves her ambitions of escape entirely futile.
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – MAIN FLOOR

Just then while he’s caught off guard Val seizes the opportunity to tear off Skorne’s helmet revealing the stealth mask. As Skorne pivots around to kick Val in the chest while torn between his lust to destroy Val and his concern for Elixis, Val is able to grab Skorne’s artificial leg and rip a series of wires, causing the mechanical limb to sputter and wiggle uncontrollably.

Granting him the precious seconds he needs, Val then wraps Terra’s glove around Skorne’s mask and tears off the disguise revealing the finalized true identity of a man he believed dead for over twenty-five years as his jaw drops from the impossible visage of the disfigured man before him.

The sole person in the galaxy who has crossed paths with Val in the past and had some how managed to live through the events of those who had fallen from Val’s curse before. There with locks of brown and a single eye of blue amidst patches of mangled, scarred flesh was Val’s former best friend and the person who gave Val his infamous Imperial Shuttle…The Assailant but when it was bestowed upon Val’s birthday it was known as the Appurtenance which meant only one startling announcement…

John Masterson had survived…
 

INTERIOR: VERSAI TECH – CENTRAL COMMAND

While the sheer impossibilities stun Val to the core, deep inside Versai Tech, Marc is engaged in a heated discussion with Skel looming high above in his Shadow Serpent Swarth. Both opponents were forced to wait for the outcome of the battle raging inside The Killian Bastion unaware of the grim circumstances taking place inside the frightening construct of fire and steel.

Skel drums his flexed talons along his chair as he taunts Marc Jade from the safety of his bridge via a repaired view screen, although shattered in multiple distortions of his image due to Val’s outburst earlier as the Jedi Slayer.

SKEL – You will make a worthy servant when my master is victorious Marcus Jade. Amonites compose the best slaves they do. My race harnesssed many of your people for our labor requirmentsss. I will relish placing a collar around your neck and watch you grovel at my feet.

MARC – The only thing you’re going to see Skel is my planetary turbolaser network light you up like a paper lantern. Your infiltration into our domain will be your downfall.

SKEL – Versai has no probability against the supremacy of my Master! He’s walked into a trap of my Lord’s brilliant desssign. His defeat is assured as is your incarceration to me. Beg you will to die Marcusss but release you from your suffering…I will not.

Marc grinds his teeth attempting to maintain his composure as he gingerly walks over to a computer monitor revealing none other then Michael Angilis whom was currently residing in one of the many giant turbolaser emplacements. Marcus allows Skel to continue to ramble on while he initiates careful measures to prepare VT to defend itself, should Skel attempt to attack the grounds regardless of the outcome of the duel. If there was one absolute in the “bad guy” handbook it was never under any circumstances to trust the word of a villain.

MARC – (speaking to Michael) Mr. Angilis begin charging the planetary defense grid. I don’t trust these retched reptiles any more then I could throw them. Regardless of the news, we’re not giving up VT without one hell of a fight. Keep it discrete Michael, gradually…so as to avoid immediate detection by their sensors.

MICHAEL – (com) A diversion eh? I like that. Tell him the energy increase is a momentary flux in the energy capacitors of our life support and agricultural conduits.

MARC – What does that mean?

MICHEAL – Absolutely nothing but I bet he doesn’t know what the hell a flux in a conduit is either.

MARC – Clever Mr. Angilis remind me to give you a raise when this is concluded.

MICHAEL – You can count on me Sir, we’ll show these creatures why VT is the best damned company in the galaxy and what advantages there are to having alliances with the best weapon companies money can buy.

Skel suddenly snarls upon his throne demanding Marcus to explain the rise in energy readings as Marc calmly approaches the view screen and prepares to lay down the biggest pile of bantha fodder he can muster up to throw off detections of his true intentions.

MARC - Fluxuations in the energy capacitors of our life support and agricultural conduits are causing backfire on the lower deck support grids. We’re recalibrating our electrical interfaces to compensate for the increase in energy packets. If you want us to remain here alive to carry out your claims then you’re gonna have to allow us to repair the situation otherwise life support systems could fail.

Skel grinds his nasal tongues together in deep through as his yellow eyes narrow, contracting the black iris to small slits then he eventually nods his acceptance unaware that in actuality all the planetary turbolasers in VT’s possession were being primed to unleash a wave of energized retribution the likes The Killian have ever experienced.
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – MAIN FLOOR

Meanwhile returning to the swirling, white hot steam jets of the Killian Bastion, Val and Skorne stand slightly distanced from each other as both search for the words to say while Skorne tries to find some way to aid his mate encased in the metal ball looming closer and closer to the edge of Deck 3 with only the straining guardrails holding back her plummet into eternity.

SKORNE – Surprised Val? You should be…after all what you see is by your own hand. Shall we stroll down memory lane? Two friends shared quarters together, both eager to rise within the Imperial ranks. While one was loyal to the cause, the other soon forgot his loyalties and disappeared. Meanwhile the LOYAL member which we will call “John” excelled in his abilities and under the watchful eye of HIS FATHER, he attained the right to work WITH HIM on the DEATH STAR.

VAL – (blinks) You have got to be kidding me…

SKORNE – Is it sinking in yet Val? Do you understand WHY I hate you with every fiber of my being? Let me spell it out. Just as you once shielded your heritage from the Empire as Valaryc Winters…I shielded my own heritage as well. I wasn’t allowed to reveal my relationship for fear of favoritism so I joined the Empire under the name Jonathan Masterson….but I WAS BORN John Masterson KREVLIN!

VAL – (gasps) ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT ALL THIS TIME YOU NEVER ONCE MENTIONED…

SKORNE – THAT’S RIGHT VAL, HOW DO YOU THINK I MANAGED TO AFFORD AN IMPERIAL SHUTTLE ON A CREWMAN’S SALARY? THE APPURTENANCE WAS A GIFT FROM MY FATHER. ADMIRAL TUZON KREVLIN.

VAL – (growls) DO NOT BLAME ME FOR MY ACTIONS, DON’T YOU DARE HOLD ME RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF YOUR FATHER, HE MADE HIS CHOICES AND HE HAD TO ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THOSE DECISIONS!

John scowls and rushes towards Val instantly grabbing him by his collar and lifting him up against the wall with his mechanical arm. Glaring with hatred and teeming with rage, John pins Val hard against the steel surface as he looks eye to eye with his former ally.

SKORNE – YOU DARE TO PREACH TO ME OF CONSEQUENCES??? LOOK AT THIS MARK UPON MY FACE VAL! Let me tell you the rest of the story because after which there will be nothing left to say between us that will not end with one of us dying. When you planned to ambush Krevlin what you didn’t realize is that when you used me to gain access to his office, I was invited to receive a promotion from him at the VERY INSTANT the BOMB WENT OFF!

Skorne points towards the gash along his clouded eye, running down to the under his cheek as he continues to reveal the mystery behind his quest for vengeance.

SKORNE -  The first impact shattered several of my ribs as I slammed into the dented steel of the wall while the door to the office impacted next to me, bending the panels to expose the Death Star’s interior wiring which instantly covered me in a blanket of agonizing sparks. But no…it didn’t stop there, as I watched you pace down the hallway, never bothering to look back, fragments of metal suddenly spit forth from the interior of the inflamed office and that is the last time I was able to see with BOTH EYES.

VAL – (struggles) I’m sorry got caught in the crossfire John but that doesn’t make up for you murdering my daughter…you had a choice and you pulled the trigger.

Suddenly John drops Val and pulls out his disruptor pistol and aims it towards Gen whom is distracted by a flash of sparks flying from a dented wall panel.

SKORNE – I MADE MY CHOICE TO PULL THE TRIGGER, AND SO HELP ME I’M GOING TO DO IT AGAIN! SAY FAREWELL TO YOUR BELOVED MISS ZERIDIAN!

VAL – BACK OFF FROM MY WOMAN!

As Skorne squeezes the trigger aiming for Gen, Val knees John in the chest and shifts his aim, causing the bolt of blue to miss Gen by mere inches as a large section of the wall burns with a white hot red to orange to white brilliance and leaves a massive crater of vaporized metallic material behind.

Val fueled with an unyielding rage snaps up his sword and charges into John as his razor sharp edge severs quickly and brutally into the back of John’s legs, fluidly slicing though flesh, bone, tendons, and mechanical servos as John topples to his knees. Just as Val spins his elegant mirror polished, blood stained weapon around for the killing blow, Q2 suddenly uses the force to launch Skorne out of the way of Val’s descending stab, impaling through the polished steel floor.

Q2 beams with delight flicking his hand forward while he extends his black glove towards the teetering ball of metal and without the slightest hesitation he causes the massive chunk of steel to tear through the support railing, sending the heavy globe plunging into the mouth of the molten pit as Elixis has no time to scream or retaliate as gold floods the inner core of the metal prison and consumes her body.

JOHN – WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE Q2!

Q2 smiles with wicked delight while he makes his way down the flight of stairs until his black boots touch upon the surface of the main floor. It is in that instant that Val takes notice of the inverted Versai Crests embedded within Q2’s boots just below where the white slacks of Q2’s attire tucks into the rims of his footwear.

Q2 – (walking five feet from John) Do not mourn for that soiled wench John. Oh…she didn’t tell you did she? Would that finally put the agony in your soul to rest? Do you want to know what REALLY happened while you were detained on Chandrila?

John narrows his eyes to disgusted slits as he attempts to move but finds the severed tendons in his lower legs have left him virtually paralyzed from the waist down. Val begins to understand where this conversation is leading and doesn’t lift a finger to aid John’s condition knowing full well that justice was about to be served. Using the time to check on Gen, Val is suddenly hurled backward into a large mechanized structure placing him well out of range of Q2 and John. In that moment Q2 keeps his ruby eyes trained on John then flicks his black glove towards Gen, unleashing a horrid storm of orange Shard Lighting into the flimsy platform which immediately caves in the support beams and eats away at the steel until the entire upper deck topples downward, sending Gen racing along the jagged floor shearing into her costume just before she’s able to grasp a piece of the guard rail, preventing her from falling into the oozing gold well below, dangling her over it as the deck begins to groan under the weight of Q2’s damage.

Q2 – Now that I have your COMPLETE and UNDIVIDED attention John…I seem to recall that I made a promise to you earlier in the hallway. Elixis played you like a harp from Korriban my ignorant friend.

JOHN – (reaches behind him) What in the hell are you blabbering about? You obviously didn’t know what was done behind YOUR back on YOUR trip to Endor.

Q2 – (grins) That’s the grand beauty of it all Skorne. I knew the entire time of your plot to overthrow me…betrayal is met with swift retribution, Elixis paid for her treachery…you will learn in the last moments you have remaining in this realm that there is NOTHING beyond my detection.

John continues to listen searching in the back of his belt for the same type of gun he used to strike down Sara and Lance, finally grasping the handle to his pistol, filled with the modified ysalamiri ammunition knowing its now become a race against time.

Q2 starts to pace away from John as if leaving himself wide open to John’s intentions as he continues to reveal the final truth to Skorne’s constant suspicions.

Q2 – That appointed moment of your freedom has arrived Skorne. While you were getting carved up by Gen on Chandrila, deep within the alcoves of the Sith Temple upon a bed of black and red silk…IT WAS MY NAME SHE WAS MOANING!

John snaps his grip around the gun forward and aims the pistol towards Q2.

JOHN – YOU SON OF A…(cut off)

Before John can pull the trigger, Q2 reveals that while his back was turned he had called John’s disruptor pistol into his hand. In a blink of an eye John is surrounded by the prison of irradiated muzzle fire unleashed from his own pistol as the disruptor’s pistol’s irreversible, merciless power consumes John’s body in its unfathomable energy in a gradation of red to orange to white light. Val watches in horror as John’s body vanishes into oblivion just as he witnessed Terra die. The irony was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The same fate John had given to Terra had returned to rob him of his life by the same tactics in the same stunning conclusion.

Just as quickly, Q2 turned his aim towards Gen as Val sprinted forward before Q2 can pull back the hammer to the pistol. Val grabs Q2’s arm and hyper extends his wrist forcing Q2 to drop the weapon as it clatters to the ground but Q2 is superior in strength, able to lift Val up with his one arm and toss him back along the floor.

Seeking to finish his intentions later while Gen continues to hold on for dear life to the slowly drifting platform, Q2 reaches behind him and presents Cire’s Sith Sword just as Val’s Lumatanium edge grinds edge to edge with his menacing weapon.

Back and forth Val and Q2 slice towards each other traveling along the flickering blue drenched surface of the damaged throne room floor as troves of sparks fly with each crushing collision of Val and Q2’s unyielding weapons. Swinging into a Form II parry, Q2 slices Val across his thigh, causing Val to drop down to one knee and narrowly avoid a vertical sweep from Q2’s razor sharp edge. Arching his back and throwing out a force push, Val propels himself clear of the deadly blade much to Q2’s delight. Although Val was holding his own in the duel his body was beginning to tire and that was exactly what Q2 wanted. Between fighting Skorne and passing beyond his trials, Q2 knew that very soon Val would begin to grow slower and lapse in his movements not because of his skill but because of the breakdown of his body from the virus.
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – DECK 3

Gen watched the battle from high above, struggling to find a way to avoid the deadly molten pit below her as the rising heat singed her lungs making it difficult to breathe. The platform finally gave way with a wrenching howl of shredded metal as Gen snapped her torn gloved hand out and clung to a shaft of support beam just as the entire surface of Deck 3 disappeared into the blazing depths below. She now could only cling to the jutting steel for there was no other surface in safe distance she could leap to; forced to witness the ongoing clash of steel weapons flashing sparks of aggression at the summit of the stairs.
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – MAIN FLOOR

Over and over Q2 slammed his unrelenting edge into Val’s elegant sword as neither shaft of metal gave way to the other. Being pushed back along the ground, Val mustered all his strength to hold his position but the heat of the room was beginning to melt the soles of his boots which left a smearing trail of rubber along the platform. Q2 of course had no such problems as his entire attire was specifically designed to counter the effects of his hellish domain.

Val decided he needed to position himself closer to the stairway, managing to spin away and break the lock with Q2’s blade as it came slicing down, lacerating the steel floor while Val placed the left communications kiosk between him and Q2.

Q2 – GIVE ME THE SLAYER! IT IS THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL STAND AGAINST MY SUPERIOR MIGHT!

VAL – I WILL NOT YIELD!

Q2 cleaves clean through the kiosk with thunderous efficiency in a series of diagonal slashes so fast that he is a visual blur of red, white, and black as sections of the kiosk scatter along the floor. Q2 uses these pieces to throw them at Val who tries to sever through most of them but is pelted from all angles by the flaming wreckage, causing him to drop his sword again as Q2 homes in on him like an animal.

Q2 – Why do you continue to neglect your proficiency with a lightsaber? You have two…you’re better then this Versai, I’ve studied your technique to a science. You confide in this barbaric construction of steel…Why? What else are you hiding I wonder?

Val barely sidesteps a descending blow from Q2’s blood stained weapon as Val limps as best he can away from his assailant. Attempting to grab his sword, Q2 once again locks his blade in a grinding power struggle.

Q2 – (reading Val’s mind) Ah…so that is your inward struggle. You believe if you ignite your lightsabers you will bring about the completion of the prophecy Obi Wan has told you…but you have not taken into consideration that by limiting your potential YOU HAVE NO PROBOBILITY OF VICTORY!

Suddenly Q2 pulls a device from his suit coat, sticking it like a magnet to the blade of Val’s sword. Beaming with twisted reverence, Q2 blocks out the loud squeal of the mechanical monstrosity as Val watches in terror while his prized Lumatanium sword suddenly shatters like shards of glass before his very eyes.

Q2 – (kicks Val back) During my research into your technology Versai I discovered that while Corusca gem lasers are the only element that can CUT your precious metal…Sonic technology reduces your metallic wonder to nothing more then SPLINTERED TILE!

Although we are aware that Q2 is wearing his special addition under his displayed crimson padded material and white suit, you must understand that like a tuning fork that is struck, Q2’s Lumatanium plated under suit is not affected by the vibrations as they were centralized to reverberate only though Val’s decimated weapon.

Q2 – NOW YOU HAVE NO WEAPON TO DEFEND YOURSELF VERSAI! IGNITE YOUR LIGHTSABERS AND EMBRACE YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL! GIVE ME THE SLAYER!

VAL – NEVER!

Val dodges Q2’s forward advance as he seizes a fraction of a section to use the force to reverse Q2’s projectile tactic, tossing wave after wave of splintered metal towards Q2 who expertly parries and weaves back and forth from the obstructions but this is not Val’s intention to knock Q2 off balance, its to knock him off guard as Val dashes behind Q2 kneeing him with all his might into the small of his back, that very spot that leaves the body temporarily paralyzed that even the most formidable enemy cannot escape.

Forced to drop down to one knee, Q2 struggles to regain his balance feeding on the pain raging through his spine but he’s stunned as Val yanks Cire’s Sith Sword from his grasp, tossing the weapon like a shurikin up to the throne, impaling the blade clear to its handle guard into the polished steel where it is wedged into place far from Q2’s reach.

VAL – NOW WE’RE ON EVEN GROUND…

Q2 - Hardly...

Q2 suddenly lunges to his feet and sends Val careening along the floor. Tossing his black gloved hand downward Q2 tears his heatsaber hilt free from his belt and ignites the purple-blue blade with a ripple of heat distortion. Val leaps back to his feet just as Q2’s blade appears to disappear behind a curtain of gaseous emissions.

Val is no match for Q2’s brutal acceleration as his upper thighs, midsection and finally his back falls victim to Q2’s heat based aggression. Although Val is wearing a vest resistant to heat, the sheer pulsating flammability of Q2’s devastating weapon overwhelms the high temperature based limits of his vest, causing portions of it to singe and curl as tiny trails of fire form along his body.

Val instinctively pats out the small embers as he spots Q2 emerge for another powerful attack. Just then he notices that when Q2 is standing still to gain his propulsion it is the only instance that Q2’s purple shaft is viewable. Gambling on a new strategy Val holds his ground and allows Q2 to approach him in a sprint so fast it kicks up dust at Q2’s heels.

Timing his tactic just right, Val suddenly darts his eyes to an air conditioning unit used to keep the main floor cool and engages the force to rip apart a series of pipes fed into the mainframe of the system. This in turn causes the pipes to burst and emit a cloud of fog which then reveals Q2’s blade in plain sight.

Knowing where Q2’s weapon is at all times Val weaves back and forth inside the cloud of fog while Gen sees both contenders disappear inside the opaque mist. Val relies on his martial arts skills to land in punches and kicks each time Q2 over swings, slicing into panels and walls, the floor, anything in his path leaving molten lines of white hot gashes which only allow Val to see the heatsaber even clearer.

Q2 deciphers Val’s plan and snaps off his weapon, stepping into the shadows of the misty barrier. Circling in the sheet of moisture Val can no longer detect Q2’s position and loses his sense of direction as he bumps into the wall and trips over pieces of metal at his feet.

Val suddenly hears Q2’s purple blade ignite as his back is sliced with such antagonistic vigor that Q2’s weapon melts clean though Val’s coat, setting it on fire while his vest is then penetrated which engulfs Val’s back in unbearable throbbing agony.

His body was reaching its limits and Val’s vision started to fade in and out of clarity. He felt his legs go numb and the pain in his chest ignite into fiery stabs of misery. Each wave felt as if he was getting stabbed in the chest multiple times and with his legs numb, Val was defenseless at Q2’s feet.

Q2 – It is time for you to see the face of the one who has bested you. Behold the connection between you and I Versai, at last you will recognize your own faults personified in flesh.

Q2 walks around to where Val can see him as he strips off the golden faceplate and facial wrapping. Keeping his face turned away for the moment, he drops the eyepiece to the floor with a tink of metallic impact. Slowly, ever so slowly the light spreads along the regions of Q2’s revealed face as a sea of brown locks dangle like serpents over the specific details of his identity.

Picking Val up off the ground by the neck hoisting him in the air, Val is stunned to see the mirror reflection of himself staring back at him but with one recognizable yet uncanny difference. Under the well of Q2’s eyes mirror those of the dark recesses within Cire’s visage. Val is speechless, as he looks into the eyes of every part of him he denies.

Q2 – “Q2” is not my true name Val. Q2 is my designated clone identification number. Not just any clone mind you but a superior species fashioned by Skel to create the single most powerful being in the universe…Your features, Cire’s brilliance, and Anakin Skywalker’s unsurpassed midi-chlorian count. My potential combines all three of these genetic codes…my midi-chlorian count breaches 120,000 while you are a mere 50,000 at best.

Q2 continues to speak as he tightens his grip around Val’s throat, forcing his eyes to remain locked with his own.

Q2 – Nestled upon my throne just to the right are three cylindrical units. I wonder if you have yet uncovered the value of their contents. I’ll give you a small clue…I’ve already given you the answer.

Q2 - How does it feel to know that the only man capable of defeating you has been a doppelganger of yourself all along? I chose a name suitable of your reputation. Each a letter of my creations, you will refer to me as Lord Varic. Devoid of all of your limitations and indulged in everything you reject. You and I Versai are a common blood but very different natures. This entire contest was meant to prove a single purpose, THERE IS ONLY ROOM FOR ONE MASTER DUELIST IN THE GALAXY!

Q2 sensing his victory cackles and tosses Val to the floor then drives his boot square into Val’s swollen flesh, ripping off his sleeve less trench coat as the material flutters through the air, mingled with Gen’s scream above.

Q2 – The only opportunity for victory Val is to give me what I truly desire…You know this be true. There are no other alternatives available to you.

GEN – THIS ISN’T A FAIR FIGHT! YOU ARE AWARE OF THIS Q2. IF YOU DESIRE A DUEL OF BLADES FACE ME AND LEAVE HIM ALONE! I WILL ASSUME HIS PLACE IF I MUST BUT HIS BODY CAN TAKE LITTLE MORE!

VARIC – THE NAME IS VARIC NOW. This was never about you and I Miss Zeridian…but now that I reflect on the current situation, I will accept your proposal however not as you intend it.

VAL – (panting) No…Varic your fight is with me…you don’t care for her…you want to prove you’re better finish what you started.

Varic slams his boot into Val’s back again and leans down, kneeling to one knee as he yanks Val by his medium length hair forcing him to watch Gen’s position.

VARIC – THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING…GIVE ME THE SLAYER OR WITNESS YOUR MATE RETURN TO THE SHADOWS!

VAL – (panting) I can’t…I can’t allow…

GEN – DON’T GIVE IN VAL, DON’T YOU DARE LET HIM SUCCEED!

Suddenly without so much as a hint of prior warning, Q2 releases Val’s head and looks towards a pile of twisted metal beams. Whipping his arms out to his side then narrowing his fingertips, Q2 points towards Gen. Her eyes widen as she has the decision to either allow the javelins to approach her or let go and risk succumbing to the pit below.

The first beam under Q2’s malicious command impales Gen’s left shoulder, ripping through her tendons and slamming her against the steel wall, digging into it like a nail slammed into splintered wood. Screaming in extreme agony, Gen doesn’t feel the second javelin slam through her right shoulder and repeat the same devastating pattern. With both beams pinning Gen against the wall, almost crucifying her, she’s forced to grip the shafts with her bloodstained hands and lift her body up to breath. Q2 still does not hold back his murderous intentions.

VARIC – (screaming up to Lon’s cage) WATCH YOUR MASTER FALL LON! WATCH MY PREDICTIONS COME TO PASS!

Val doesn’t see the javelins pierce Gen’s flesh but as his head is able to gain enough strength to witness the carnage as his eyes instantly being to flicker between brown and gold. His pupils’ contract into tiny dots while hatred fills his veins and his body begins to irradiate a crimson glow.

Varic releases Val and produces a familiar dagger as Val continues to feel his power increase. The recognition of the very SAME dagger used by Cire hovers into the air as Varic glares to Gen pinned against the wall. Spinning the dagger on a X-axis, it resembles a drill but spinning much slower while Val’s rage builds and builds, so much so that Q2 begins to see tendrils of crimson energy snake along the black polished floor.

VARIC – FROM THIS DAGGER YOUR LIFE WAS STRIPPED FROM YOU MISS ZERIDIAN, SO SHALL YOU RETURN TO THE GRAVE YOU HAVE ELUDED FOR FAR TOO LONG!

Varic thrusts Cire’s dagger towards Gen’s throat, just as Val had seen in his nightmarish dream but this time a bolt of crimson energy deflects the weapon, sending it spiraling into the lava below. Varic pivots around on his leg in complete shock as Val stands up, fully charged by the power flowing through him as no longer does he present himself as Valaryc Versai but grants Varic finally what he’s demanded at last…The Jedi Slayer.

(Duel of the Fates, powerful and dramatic)

VAL – (cold and focused) You will not touch her.

With his hair rippling in an unseen wind, as Val’s head is tipped downward gazing to his belt. He reaches for one lightsaber then the other igniting each blade in unison. Green and Orange lights flood the opposite side of his face as his lips reveal nothing more then a straight line but his eyes…

His eyes speak for him…

Glistening with golden luster and baring narrowed pupils Val centralizes his stare on his prey. The palette of orange and yellows flooding the chamber melt away as Val’s slayer vision veils the location in a blanket of monochromatic red blurs that recede and project with the pace of his heartbeat.

VARIC – Are you ready to die Val?

VAL – (smooth and emotionless) You have it backwards those are my words.

Before Varic can reach for his heatsaber, Val’s inexorable pace overwhelms him as showers of sparks blind Varic’s vision. Val whirls around slashing and advancing with his twin sabers with such power that he’s a blur of red, black, green, and orange looking more like a firefly weaving back and forth along the steel platform. Varic manages to deflect only three of Val’s twenty plus parries and jabs. Arcing his gloved wrists and thrusting his body into a tight spin, Val sends his orange saber racing across Varic’s cheek as the blade shears into his flesh with a blood curdling scream. It doesn’t end there as Val ignores the fact that the only thing keeping Varic in one piece is his plated Lumatanium suit. Clearly without the aid of his armor, Varic would have been killed ten times over in the first three seconds of the conflict.

Flashes of sparks and singed metal ignite as Val hacks relentlessly all over Varic’s body with the dark side driving his aggression. The orange blade then the green shaft finally creates such shearing depth into Varic’s armor that the layers quickly vanish and become fragile. That is the moment Val’s saber finally breaches Varic’s armor and digs into the bare flesh of his midsection.

Varic cries out in pain but continues to deflect as many of Val’s blows as possible. This is the only point in the confrontation where “Q2” chooses to retreat as Val stays flailing on him like a swarm of fireflies brandishing the ability to consistently burn their victim with every touch. The vibrating fury of Val’s twin blades swirl into large patterns of dancing light as more sparks continue to erupt, completely exposing portions of Varic’s final layer of protection. Varic’s white suit was in ribbons, his pants were tattered rags and his prized Vaderish red suit was reduced to hanging on my mere threads from the extreme damage Val released against not just his opponent but in this moment like the cold hearted focus of the tiger-eyed visage plastered upon his face…his prey.

Varic dashes up the steps to his throne in an attempt to gain distance between himself and Val but Val is too quick, cutting him off as Varic runs towards the three capsule like devices on the right side of his throne just as Val’s fatal edges spin like sawblades towards Varic’s head. The orange and blue vibrating lengths shear into the glass and metal of the first capsule tube causing the glass to implode in and reveal the shard filled carcus of a clone of Anakin Skywalker which falls directly into the path of Val’s sweeping orange saber blade, sending a fatal wound into the chest of Anakin’s body, bringing a quick and painless death to the cloned icon.

VARIC – I’ve finally unlocked your potential Val, you should UGH!

Val doesn’t listen to Varic’s sarcasm as his saber uppercuts Varic along his chest, leaving a deep slash of radiating orange light. Varic simply cannot keep up with Val’s unrelenting pace, slicing and twirling his lightsabers with Form “V” perfection coupled with the unstoppable power of the dark side granting him his sole mission…to bring Varic to his knees.

However as Val’s vision continues to vibrate with a focused zoom back and forth, he does not yet realize the toll being taken upon his body. Although Gen was the catalyst for his reversion, he could no longer see nor hear anything but Varic alone. It was as if there was nothing else around him but a need to feast upon Varik’s corpse in barbaric victory.

His pupils shrunk even more as Varik finally managed to give up trying to hack at Val with his rippling heatsaber, reclaiming Cire’s Sith Sword which allowed him just enough of a distraction to catch Val off guard and knock his father’s lightsaber from his grasp as the ancient hilt skittered along the polished floor.

Meanwhile Gen painfully pulled herself up in a toiling task of stretched arm bars which continued to allow her to draw in breaths and remain conscious but the twin trails of crimson essence staining the walls slowly began to sink fatigue into her impaled form. The blood flowed sickly down the wall in a crimson river of misery while she watched appalled as what level Val had placed himself in to battle for her safety.

This was not the man she wished to marry. Although Val was using the Jedi Slayer as a tool to defeat Varic he was no longer transfixed on her security he was only focused on quenching his overwhelming bloodlust. Added to that factor, Val’s body was supercharged with strength and endurance but it was only the dark side influence that was holding back the effects of the tremendous strain he was putting on his failing body.

Val’s frame irradiated brighter and brighter with a crimson ethereal aura. His eyes never displayed a shred of recognition nor compassion for the people around him. Glaring towards Varic, Val absorbed a deadly slash to his left thigh, overlaying the previous injury as he saw his blood fly forth in a gashing display of crimson rain. He didn’t feel the pain, all it did was make him even more aggressive as he quickly grabbed the blade on the second pass with his bare gloved hand, slicing the razor sharp steel into the middle of his fingers, pinning back against Varic’s struggle and with a sudden thrust of his knee, he caught Varic square under the jaw with such intensity, it cracked a few of his teeth.

The impact caused Varic to spiral out of control as he whipped around into the wall behind him just as he reached for his heatsaber and ignited the deadly flammable shaft. However the instant his swing was held vertical, in one swift gesture Val plunged Cire’s Sith Sword clean through Varic’s left saber hand, piercing not only Varic’s flesh but slicing clean through Varic’s heatsaber sheath as he viciously drove the entire sword straight through Varic’s palm, pinning him to the wall by his stabbed hand just as Gen was still tacked against the furthest wall of the chamber. It is then and only then as he lowered his engagement gold and silver plated lightsaber that Val as the Jedi Slayer spoke again.

VAL – Did you consider I would spare you? Did you assume I would find merit in your efforts? I am an engine of destruction…your evil deeds have unshackled my hatred. I offer you only one measure of gratitude and that is complete liberation from your MISERABLE REALITY!

Val’s palms charge with a blinding spherical light as Varic is helpless to escape the building energy wells surrounding Val’s clenched fists. The balls of red radiant energy grow larger and larger as bolts of crimson lightning erupt from Val’s eyes. We easily recognize this maneuver from so many battles Val has fought previously but never have we witnessed such intensity in its execution. Building in width and proximity the spheres of energy revolve on their axis around Val’s clenched fists. Larger they build until they exceed the size of a beach ball.

Varic knows what is coming as he channels the dark side to instantaneously rip out the lengthy Sith Sword as it and the center of his prized prototype weapon clatter the ground, stained with blood and rendered entirely useless.

Varic clutches his hand and races up the stairway to flee the path of Val’s incredible blinding light but he’s far too late as he seeks to reach the control panel to his chair and drop Lon and Xola into the pits below to distract and knock the Jedi Slayer off balance as he looks over his shoulder to see two massive balls of energy spin around one another and form into one solid 50 foot sphere of blinding hatred…

A bolt of hatred…
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – UNIVERSAL ENERGY CAGE

Meanwhile Lon observes in stunned admiration and tremendous concern as he watches Val’s massive bolt of hatred completely consume Varic in a blinding explosion as the entire upper dais is shattered into flaming, twisted, mangled fragments of metal, leaving an expansive cloud of smoke rising from a deep crater created in the thick steel structure of the main deck. Val  glares upward as he holds his fists to both sides waiting for any sign of movement shortly before Varic reduced to wearing nothing but rags and plates of dented armor coughs up a pool of blood then crawls one hand over the other from the rubble. Seeing his prey still breathing Val rushes up to Varic and grabs him by his hair, dragging him back down the stairs.

Val notices that the containers Varic mentioned previously have become cracked in the chaos and he can see the clones appearing to be Cire T’Negun laying beside the saber sliced form of Anakin Skywalker’s deceased clone body as both are already expired, lying on the ground as embryonic fluid pours along the floor signifying their demise. The third capsule still remains in tact with a large splinter in the glass, beading out small trails of the life preserving fluid that trickles down the floor, shielding its contents in a swirl of bubbles.

Lon then notices that the red LEDs on his collar suddenly extinguish realizing that the crater means that the controls to the shock collars were now knocked out of commission. He could talk again! Lon shouted towards Xola to try and awaken her but she was out cold from the impact of the blast below.

Using his mechanical know how, Lon began to sway his circular cage back and forth in an attempted to widen the gap in one of the damaged links in the chain suspending his cage. He knew if he managed to knock himself free he would be able to escape the prison and once again wield the force to stabilize the agonizing pain still wracking his body with every gyration he made.

He also knew that Val was on a whole other level now and that if he didn’t start reacting soon he would not only see Gen pass out and die from her extensive injuries but he would lose his beloved friend to the dark side’s ironclad grip. Lon identified with the behavioral patterns Val was displaying…he had experienced the ensnarement of the Dark Side before and as before it was now history telling him that in the repetition of events it would be up to him to pull Val out of the darkness as Val once did for him long ago.
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – MAIN FLOOR

If not for the power of his genetics and the aid of the Kaiburr Crystal, Varic would have been killed by now but even the Dark Lord still had fight left in him. Quickly Varic reached for his Sith Sword once more and took up a defensive position. As he was about to swing, he noticed that Val had strangely stopped moving, standing perfectly still with his hands held behind his back and his head tipped down while the invisible wind continued to blow his bangs, blood trickles from the wounds in his body and the black bandages shimmer with the saturation of moisture from his injuries..

VAL – (quiet) You have brought harm to me…I do not like that. You Varic are nothing more then a pretender, hiding behind a face that does not belong to you. You’re not human, you’re not an animal…you’re nothing more then a pest…a parasite feeding off the suffering of others.

Val focuses his steely yellow gaze on the Deck 1 of the fiery orange interior as he calls upon his boosted midi-chlorian count to amplify his hold over the steel platform. Controlling the metallic structure symbolically between his fingertips, Val contracted his fingers until his index and forefinger nearly closed distance with his thumb.

Varic was dazed and his vision began to blur finally having endured an unfathomable amount of damage. His body actually ached now, a sensation he had never experienced before finding it rather uncomfortable. His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he watched Val use the force to rip the entire first platform from the wall and hurl it towards him like a raging freight train.

VARIC – EITHER WAY I HAVE WON THIS GAME VERSAI, I HAVE PROVEN MYSELF SUPERIOR!

A flood of gray, shimmering steel clouded Val from Varic’s vision as the massive train of solid metal slammed into the floor of the main surface creating a trench of twisted and compacted steel which emitted a trail of sparks nearly six feet high as the monolith structure careened face first into Varic’s chest pinning him into the wall with such concentration, the wall buckled in and formed itself around Varic’s mangled corpse.

The clash of metal meeting flesh was audible and sounded as if a gigantic bomb had been dropped inside the hellish domain and it caused Lon to cover his hears to block out the resounding screech of grinding metal and crunching bone.

VARIC – (telepathic) Now…we are one.

Somewhere inside the cavity created in the side of the wall was Varic’s body, barely hanging on to life while Val felt a twinge ripple through his body….that twinge was a voice…a voice he barely somewhere in the darkness within began to recognize.

GEN – Remember who you are Beloved…This isn’t you, this isn’t who you are…let go of this hatred Val, you can’t win this war with anger…you can’t relinquish your soul to attain victory.

Val’s eyes flicker, but the dark side refuses to release him from its grip as Val grabs his head and shakes it in resistance. Inside his thoughts all of the events leading up to this moment replay like a fast forwarded dream sequence ending with Gen being pinned against the wall with Cire’s dagger dangerously close to repeating history. It was the trigger…but Gen was the reason, not the means to an end. Val began to take back his body, fighting against the hatred burning within his soul resisting the Jedi Slayer on a battlefield only he could see.

VAL – (Slayer Voice) SHUT UP! DON’T LISTEN TO HER VERSAI…YOU CAN’T WIN WITHOUT ME.

VAL – (Slayer) You can’t stop me…if you reject my power you will face death. Can you handle the look on her face when you drop dead at her feet? Don’t be foolish.

VAL – (Val) ARRRRRRRGH

Val or rather his conflicted body continues to cradle his head and thrash about, dropping to one knee as he hears other voices begin to chime in along with Gen. Voices that can only through the force understand the conflict he is enduring.

SARA – (telepathic) Don’t let it end this way brother, don’t give in to hate…remember your strength comes from your honor not your potential abilities. You can win but don’t let him play the game for you.

LANCE – (telepathic) Come on buddy, you’ve been through worse and you didn’t need the Dark Side to help you win any of your battles. You can drop this guy with your wits and your skill, be the man you are not the man you think you must be.

GEN – (telepathic) Come home to me Beloved…we can work through this; remember what I told you when you confided your secret in me? I told you…We’ll face them together. I need you, let us help…we haven’t known each other long enough in this timeline for this to end yet.

LON – (telepathic) Val you pulled me from the darkness now I aim to return the favor. You once told me that the Dark Side is just a tool and that your real strength lies in your determination to defy your destiny. You showed me that I can excel without the Dark Side’s influence. Remember what you told me Val? If you are TRULY the Master then tell me what it is you preached was the ULITIMATE LESSON to learn to resist the shadows….TELL ME MASTER VERSAI.

VAL – I CAN’T BREAK THIS…….

LON – (telepathic) YES YOU CAN! TELL ME WHAT YOU TOLD ME, SEARCH YOUR FEELINGS AND TELL ME THE WORDS MASTER, TEACH ME BY EXAMPLE!

Val blinks a moment, slowly rising to his feet once more looking between Gen and the chinked wall upon which he knows Varic is buried and still alive. His vision begins to shift between the monochromatic red and glimmers of brilliant color. The blurring effect pulsates back and forth with the beat of his heart as blood trickles from his lips, signifying the stress on his body taking its toll. Faster and harder Val’s heart pounds against his ribcage as his eyes remain golden and silent.

His shrunken pupils expand and dilate as he hears the voices coaxing him to listen begin to fade away, becoming less and less audible…all except one, the persistence of Lon Wol from high above his flailing cage.

VAL – (cold and focused) I told you…to walk away Lon.

GEN – (telepathic) Eternal love means forever bound. You have and always will be forever bound to me as I am to you.

Val looks down to his gloved hand, seeing the metallic tabs of Terra’s gift as he curls his fist into a tight ball. Gazing to the embedded crest of Gen Zeridian…he remembers her and what she means to him above all chance of victory or resolution. Val does the only measure he can think of to shatter the insatiable grip of the dark side upon him. Remembering the words he has spoken to Lon he repeats them once more, while the metallic deck embedded into the wall begins to push backward, unnoticed.

VAL – I told you…to walk away.

Without hesitation Val drives his fist into the center of his temple as hard as he can, striking his skull so deeply that he breaks the skin causing his forehead to trickle with blood as the blow literally scrambles his brain. The thunderous impact is so effective that it actually resets Val’s entire thought process which instantly steals the Jedi Slayer’s power away leaving the true Val in complete control of his body. However the price for his decision causes him to expel another rush of blood to fly through the air and leave a trail dangling down the center of his frayed black and red striped vest.

VAL – (coughing) I know now…I remember Gen who I truly am.

Meanwhile the massive collection of machinery continues to buckle and strain under the weight of something pushing its 100 ton girth backward. Suddenly the long platform of steel launches across the floor and slams into the opposing wall as Varic, still managing to hang on to his life despite his body being folded like an accordion channels what little strength he has left with the aid of the Kaiburr Crystal to unleash a new power upon the recovered persona of Valaryc Versai.

VAL – You’ve failed Varic, I am stronger then the darkness because of the friends I have and the people I love…no matter how hard you try I will never become the Jedi Slayer again. I am Valaryc Winters Versai, Dark Jedi Master and legendary duelist…not because I have to be, because I choose to be.

Val is yanked forward, sucked in like a vaccum into Varic’s reach as his bare, torn gloved hand contacts Val’s exposed chest and a burst of radiant orange energy suddenly injects itself into Val’s physique. The power is swift and brutal as Varic begins to feed upon Val’s superior condition compared to his own creating an exchange of genetic circumstances in a technique known as Force Inversion.

VARIC – Bold words but utterly futile. If you choose to remain weak then you will meet your destiny.

The ability weaves its deadly spell over Val’s body as his chest suddenly buckles in, breaking his ribs instantly as blood floods his lungs threatening to end his life while Varic absorbs what little injuries Val had attained as his arms inherit the scar tissue and it becomes obvious that what Force Inversion does is swap injuries with another host.

Val was suffering the fatal effects of Varic’s massive injuries contributed by the train wreck absorbed into his chest as Val fell to the ground, gasping to breath through the fluid filling his internal cavity. It is only by Varic’s sheer will alone that Val does not succumb to his extensive damage, sustained by a measure of solidity to his body from Varic’s force based effects. Varic meanwhile dusts himself off and smiles broadly as he casually circles around Val crawling with sheer determination along the ground, smearing his blood along the floor.

VARIC – A means to an end Mr. Versai. You’ve put up a “valiant” struggle and dealt me considerable injury but in the end you have learned a valuable lesson and that lesson is that no matter what love you hold your faith to and what willpower you possess you cannot escape the inevitability that everything must die, everything must perish.

Varic paces his way over towards Skorne’s disruptor pistol as he picks up the weapon and cocks the barrel. Engaging the charge into the main chamber of the weapon while Lon continues to try and strain the chain link to buckle under the pressure of his gyration Varic aims overhead and shoots the chain, sending Lon flying across the room inside his steel ball as he slams into where Deck 3 used to be then plummets perilously close to the edge of the pit as Lon tosses all of his weight towards his far right landing the bouncing, denting energy cage into the center of the central circular platform where he last had his duel, rolling in circles and stopping the trajectory of his cage just inches from flying off the edge of the plateau.

Panting for breath as his body continues to throb with pain, Lon notices that his efforts have busted the door to his cage off its hinges but the steel has become so twisted that he needs to push against it to free himself which keeps him busy while Varic paces to his true target…towards Gen against the wall.

VARIC – You Miss Zeridian have also delivered me great frustration…because of you and that retched Padawan you have both robbed me of my right to face a true champion. Your hero lies broken, beaten, and finished…the contest is about to be concluded but before this game is done…I aim to send you back where you belong.

Just then Varic feels Val tugging on the armored plating of his pant leg. Varic smiles viciously as he returns his aim on Gen. Just then Val by some manner of unparallel will slams a recognizable device into the side of Varic’s armor as Varic grabs Val by the throat with one hand and reaches for his Sith Sword with the other. Val takes the opportunity to rip off the Versai Locket from Varic’s neck as he’s hoisted up, clutching his family heirloom in his hand.

VARIC – Are you ready to accept your destiny Val? I only want one last thing in exchange for a few more seconds of leniency towards Miss Zeridian’s life.

VAL – (coughing) What is…that.

VARIC – Your last dying breath…

VAL – (smirks) Before victory comes humility…before duty comes family. These things you will never possess. Strike me down Varic, so that I may extract my justice upon your twisted soul and deliver you into eternal damnation.

Val beams as the sudden whine of mechanics fills his ears followed by the shattering of fragments of what sounds like glass. Varic looks down suddenly and realizes what Val was intended to do as he sees his own mechanized gizmo shatter the chest region of his Lumatanium armor like a window. This leaves his entire upper body vulnerable to attack as the device sends sharp vibrations through his black suit and shatters his defenses.

Varic draws Val up higher where everyone can see him looking down, eye to eye with his superior. But Val does not give Varic the benefit of his last gaze as he transfixes his vision to the three cylinders still functioning at the summit of the dais, next to the massive crater where “Q2”’s throne once stood. There is something about the significance of Varic’s prior words he mentioned that draws Val away from seeing the razor sharp Sith Sword racing in a flash of metal towards his chest. While Varic shakes Val trying to get him to look him in the eye, he uses the seconds to open a set of dual steel doors that slide open behind Val’s position unveiling a hellish radiance of orange and yellow as a channel leading directly into a well of the molten pit is revealed at the bottom of the trap door contraption. All the while Val seems more intrigued by the deceased corpses of Cire and Anakin’s clone and specifically the last chamber left in tact, leaking its fluids through the cracks in the glass face.

“My potential combines all three of these genetic codes…my midi-chlorian count breaches 120,000 while you are a mere 50,000 at best.”

Combines all three…

Anakin, Cire and you…

VARIC – (narrowing his eyes) Admirable but utterly useless…Valaryc Winters Versai, reborn into darkness, reverted into mortality…the circle reaches its revolution. Your hero’s journey…

VAL – (telepathic) Please understand what I must do Gen. I love you.

VARIC – (stabbing forward) Is complete.

Val doesn’t feel the blade of Cire’s Sith sword plunge sharply into his body as his vision clouds and a warm flood emerges from his chest but Gen, Lon, and Xola all shout in horror seeing Varic’s sword tear through the front and emerge out between Val’s shoulder blades. Impaled upon Varic’s sword Val’s body lays literally still while Val’s brown eyes continue to remain transfixed on the last tube in the rear of the throne room…That instant his body reached the final brink of complete breakdown as his innards transformed into liquid, completing the virus’s last phase plaguing Val’s eyes to black.

The outcry from Gen and Lon is so intense that it disrupts the very nature of the force and ripples outward like a large ring of energy, affecting all those who wield its power passing across thousands of miles until it reaches those who knew Val best but were not present in the room.
 

INTERIOR: VERSAI TECH – MEDICAL WARD 851

Sara suddenly bursts out of her coma covered in tears as Lance raises an eyebrow and feels her wrap her arms tightly around his body, clutching and sobbing with tremendous pain. Lance can’t yet detect what the problem is, then it hits him like a ton of bricks as the reverberation of Gen, Xola, and Lon’s quivering cries reach his ears…

SARA – BY THE FORCE NO! THIS CANNOT HAPPEN LANCE, WAKE ME FROM THIS NIGHTMARE!

LANCE – What, what is the shouting about…oh…my…lord…no…blazes no! Not Val, not like this…NOT TO HIM!

SARA – I CAN’T FEEL HIM ANYMORE LANCE, I CAN’T FEEL VAL’S PRESENCE! It’s just…cold…so very cold now.
 

INTERIOR: VERSAI TECH – CENTRAL COMMAND

Marc snaps his gaze up to the view screen and rushes immediately over to the monitor, rapidly calling summoning Michael Angilis to reply to him.

MARC – (to himself) Jinn comfort us all…

MICHAEL –Sir?

MARC – Train your aim on the Shadow Serpent fleet and await the command to fire…if they so much as flash a taillight, unleash the dogs of war upon them. I fear Val may have just lost the duel.

MICHAEL – You think he lost? Is that even a possibility?

MARC – (sighs) Against a man who can destroy an entire moon on his own…I simply don’t know anymore what to believe…be on your guard. Regardless of Val’s orders we’re not going to surrender this station.
 

INTERIOR: FRD -  OFFICE

Suddenly inside a lavishly decorated office of silken red curtains and presidential quality carpets, burnished with mixed woods Foe Raker erupts from a deep sleep on his desk. Instantly he feels the same coldness that has traveled to everyone else and he knows damn well where it’s originating from as he detects one less force signature trigger his danger sense at an alarming rate.

FOE – (slamming his fist into a com) PREPARE MY FLAGSHIP AT ONCE!

Foe races from the room and dashes down the hallway, trying to block out the blood coursing through his veins as he holds back his grief while anger attempts to overtake his senses. Rounding a corner running at tremendous velocity, Foe enters a colossal hanger bay and sprints up the deck of a Shuttle, which immediately unfolds its triangular wings and departs for his lead flagship.
 

INTERIOR: THRONE ROOM – MAIN FLOOR
 

Back inside the infernal chambers of Q2’s vast, heated domain Val’s body lies motionless, skewered on the end of Varic’s blood drenched blade. Settling Val’s body to the ground, Varic sends a swift kick and forces his victim to slide off the edge of his weapon with a sickening SLURCH of severed flesh. Despite all of his efforts and remaining true to himself, Val was no longer moving. Picking Val up and setting him on his feet just for an instant, Varic looked directly into Gen’s eyes as he gave a swift kick to the center of Val’s stomach, sending his corpse plummeting back down the shaft as his flesh ignites from the heat of the fires approaching before his skeletal remains sink into the abysmal light below, sunken into the golden, sizzling ocean.

As Val sinks into the unforgiving inferno of the golden pit the Versai Locket clatters to the steel floor and opens up to reveal the photo of Russel, Kathryn, Sara, and Val in a family portrait. Symbolic of his downfall a single drop of Val’s blood trickles down the photo of himself, at age three embraced in his mother’s arms.

Valaryc Winters Versai…

Was dead.

Gen used all of her willpower to lift herself up the shafts still pinning her barely moving body against the wall. Caked layers of blood had formed along her leather attire as she narrowed her eyes in focused hatred towards Val’s murderer. A feat thought entirely impossible was now a shocking reality.

Meanwhile Varic casually paced away from the edge of the golden pit and slammed his blood covered blade deep into the floor of the main deck. He spun around on his heel beaming with satisfaction as he once again held Skorne’s disruptor pistol in his hand. Walking back to the center of the floor he first cocked his eyes towards Lon, and then gestured to Gen.

Lon kicked the door to his cage with a sharp lunge as the frame ripped off the hinges. Slithering out carefully like a snake, Lon dragged his damaged body along the heated surface of the platform, while he snapped his foot back and kicked the cage, sending it plunging into the molten pool below, far from ever incarcerating him again.

VARIC – If you recall I made you a promise Mr. Wol and I am a man of my word. I grant you the experience of watching Miss Zeridian join her beloved mate in eternal slumber. Your savior is dead…
I am your Master now.

LON – (narrows his eyes) I will never bow to you…

VARIC – I’ve read how your mind was once blocked from memory by Lord Overseer. Since you are accustomed to such measures…they’ll prove most entertaining when you become a mindless servant meant to dance for my amusement. Maybe I’ll refer to you as Jester Wol instead of the Inquisitor.

Varic gazed down into the heart of molten metal below, basking in the radiant heat surrounding his body. With the Lumatanium plating shattered from the waist up, he could now fully feel the searing heat entice his flesh. Now Val was gone and with his death yielded the spoils of war. All Varic needed to do was inform Versai Tech of their President’s failure and everything that Val owned and possessed would be turned over to the ownership of the Killian Guild.

Everything except of course…Gen.

The last piece of resistance left in the fight of the Versai legacy. Lon could be broken. Varic had defeated Lon before and he could just as easily do it again and reduce him to a lowly servant. Gen however…he looked into her narrowed slits…those piercing, hatred driven violet orbs. Gen didn’t seek to seduce Varic into sparing her life, she wanted him to suffer and she swore to the guardians of the force if he sent her back to the grave she would return to haunt his every thought. Just as Cire managed to survive inside Val’s thoughts for those years that passed beyond his alleged death, Gen transpire to afflict her own curse upon Varic’s existence.

Varic gazed down into the swirling fire then slowly, in the maximum suspense of the moment raised Skorne’s lethal weapon skyward, keeping his piercing brown eyes locked on his prey. Lon concentrated on a piece of machinery but Varic quickly discerned his attempts as the massive unit raced towards Varic who swiftly and gracefully recoiled off his left foot as the machine missed its target.

Varic was furious that even now, Lon was STILL trying to best him in a fight. Feeding off that anger, the sheer vehemence of Lon shattered his opportunity to dispatch Gen while she remained practically motionless, still pinned to the wall by the merciless javelins of steel. Varic’s eyes suddenly expelled a charge of orange radiance as bolts of Shard Lightning flew from the fingertips of his now torn and singed white gloved hand. The energized fragments instantly hammered into Lon’s throbbing body and made short work of his momentary resistance. Lon clutched his lacerated skin with his good hand while his legs buckled to the heated steel floor, which left him motionless. He was now forced to watch the terror unfold which mirrored the same circumstances Val had endured, chained to the table and helpless to aid Gen before her tragic demise.
 

INTERIOR:  THRONE ROOM – UPPER DAIS

Meanwhile as Varic returns his focus back to Gen, deep in the flickering blue light of the throne room dais, where the mangled remains of Varic’s throne sizzles after the impact of Val’s bolt of hatred…there is a stirring of liquid rejuvenation. Suddenly the sound of glass slowly cracking begins to increase in intensity as the embryonic liquid of the last remaining cylinder overwhelms the stability of the fractured housing of the unit. Varic ignores the sound of the glass finally give way and it explodes across the metallic floor. A flood of green liquid erupts along the flooring and quickly empties from the cylinder, trailing down the saber made grooves in the metal surface until it expands in width, reaching the steps where the liquid oozes down the stairs in a trail of semi-slick fluid.

The view then turns to a brief glimpse of Elixis’s elegant black robe being snatched by something too quick to make out. An echo of repetitive sound then clatters across the upper dais but the reverberation is so minute that Varic is barely able to notice it.

Varic snaps his gaze away from Gen and squints into the darkness, seeking to determine what the disturbance is high above him. He keeps his finger fastened to the trigger of Skorne’s pistol as he shifts his brown eyes to his Sith Sword still wedged vertically deep into the confines of the steel floor to his far right. The fires in the pit swirl trails of smoke and ripple with heat distorted ferocity. Yet even with the rising disturbances, Varic doesn’t seem to sense any real aspect of danger, concluding that the pressure from the fractures in the glass unit above must have simply carried out the laws of cause and effect.

Still he wasn’t convinced as he paced his way towards the set of stairs, torn between finishing his business with Gen and investigating the odd occurrence. Varic slowly ascends the slick, ooze covered stairs as his boots delve into the slippery liquid. The slimy trail eventually leads Varic back to the top of his dais. He cautiously steps around the establishment as he hears a rustle in the cages above. This only turned out to be Xola as she kept her ice blue eyes glued to her fallen fiancée, barely moving on the central circular platform far from her current location.

Varic grinned broadly as his eyes watched fear spread throughout her supple Zeltronian body. A wicked thought then occurred to Varic, if Gen was unable to comply to his wishes…perhaps Xola would be easier to manipulate as the evening stretched on. Not only did that thought entertain Varic but he added to his mental note to make Lon watch just before his mind was wiped.

Although Varic loved the resistance Elixis had shown him, at this moment in time Varic was feeling rather festive with the demise of his worthy opponent. A bit of pleasure was in order, once Versai Tech was handed over to him and his new objective was to hunt down Sara and terminate the Versai bloodline completely, ending the legacy once and for all. This would then allow Varic to reshape his own terrible path of tyranny and quite possibly give birth to a new desire which would forever shift the balance of the force in the dark side’s favor under the influence of…

Emperor Varic…

A few moments pass before Varic concludes that whatever the sound was presented no threat to him. Smiling with a new sense of purpose he rotated on his heel and gingerly strode back down the slime covered steps as he resumed his former position, pistol still in hand.

Gen’s eyes started to slowly droop to a close but she fought to remain conscious. Something inside her soul stirred and it told her, perhaps not in words but in gut instinct to not allow the darkness to consume her as the injuries from the twin stakes were taking their toll on her battered body. She had to remain strong no matter how the circumstances appeared.

Channeling every ounce of her force mastery, Gen drove back the obscurity within her focus, fixing her glazed over amethyst eyes centered on Varic and his weapon. She wasn’t strong enough to be able to both sustain her consciousness and try to distract Varic from pulling the trigger. This posed the most strenuous test of her faith within the bonds of love…for it was in this instant that all hope of survival was visibly stripped away.

Perhaps this is how Elixis felt before the spiked tree toppled and impaled her body. Gen had been in this position once before however…that piercing stab of Cire’s dagger penetrating her flesh from behind. The look of stunned horror as the blade immerged between her breasts…then the glint of silver before the warmth flooded her neck and shoulders with her crimson essence. No…she couldn’t allow herself to die in this manner, she was a warrior and she deserved a warrior’s passing.

Again she felt it…another tug within her soul to abandon her doubt and continue to hold her faith. She couldn’t explain exactly what it was that kept guiding her to remain vigilant. The sensation was that of a heartbeat, pulsating against its last thump. Each time she allowed her faith to buckle, the thud in her chest would shatter her concentration.

Meanwhile Varic sucked in a deep satisfying breath as he observed the details of Skorne’s pistol and its tragic abilities. This weapon, although not the exact model of its processor was responsible for taking the lives of Terra and John. Three made such a fitting number and Varic would see to it that this weapon would claim its final victim in a heartless flash of reddish-white brilliance.

VARIC – Miss Zeridian you have proven to possess the most unshakable endurance I have ever observed possible in a female. Truly you are a credit to your race. However my new world does not hold a place for women of your particular flavor. Love is a weakness. Any form of weakness will be stricken from the galaxy under my rule as “Emperor Varic”.

GEN – (barely a whisper) I would rather perish then exist in a world where love is forbidden.

Varic continues to taunt Gen as he fails to notice the ring of metal grinding against metal suddenly ping from the floor to his far left. What was one present was now stripped from the floor, an item of great significance and atrocity that was about to be wielded for the purpose of something more.

VARIC – (smiles) Finally…we agree on something. Farewell.

As Varic applies pressure to the hammer of the SKR-2 pistol, all of a sudden he hears the high pitch scream of something behind him, constant and growing increasingly louder when Varic realizes too late exactly what the sound reminds him of.

Instantly Varic pulls back the trigger but his aim is quickly placed off center. A scream fills the chamber as Varic feels heated steel cleave clean through his left arm, severing it instantly as the lopped appendage plummets to the floor with a sickening thud of separated flesh and bone. If not for the sheer friction of heat passing through his limb he would surely have bled to death, but the wound was instantly cauterized by the intense friction of Cire’s Sith sword! The burst of blue energy impacts into the far left side of Gen’s position, emitting a succession of red to orange to white brilliance before a large portion of the wall vanishes.

Varic stares in horrified shock as he spins around to see a shape of red and black move blindingly fast, followed by the reverberation behind him as Gen snaps her eyes down to see her lightsaber tear the clip completely off her belt. Instantly her lightsaber hurls across the room as she sees it glisten and watches the claw shroud burst into distanced purple radiance.

Then her eyes well with tears…

Neither tears of pain nor tears of agony…

Tears of pure, concentrated joy…

VOICE – (echoed) Hahahah…in all of your gloating and self righteous superiority you made one mistake.

VARIC – NO! IT’S IMPOSSIBLE! YOU’RE DEAD! THE GAME WAS OVER! I WON!

Only in that single instant does the rustling of black and red return to a visible manner. There standing before Varic, illuminated in a blanket of purple brilliance was Val. How seemed entirely impossible, but there he stood with Gen’s lightsaber clutched in his left hand while Elixis’s cloak was the only thing covering his slickened, bare flesh…rejuvenated in a body that was no longer 47 years of age but returned to his youthful prime of 25, muscular and at the peak of perfection.

VAL – (low) You cannot kill that which does not wish to perish. In your case however…

Varic snaps his hand out, using the dark side to quench the pain rippling from his missing arm as he calls his Sith Sword from behind him back towards his right hand, but Val moves as fast as lightning, as he uses his own force power to shift the sword’s trajectory, causing the blade to hurl past Varic and clatter along the floor several feet away.

VAL – I’LL MAKE AN EXCEPTION!

Varic blinks…that is all the time it takes as Val, using Gen’s lightsaber swiftly and brutally slices Varic up the middle from groin, all the way up along his chin and clean through his temple. Varic attempts to force push himself back and manages to escape being completely severed in two, but because of his leap he neglects to realize there is nothing but a pool of molten metal waiting directly behind him as the slice from Val’s saber shears his flesh, slicing through his vital organs, without the luxury of his Lumatanium armor plating to protect him.

VAL – WHEN IT COMES TO MODERN HEROICS…

The only reason Varic STILL does not succumb to his wounds is because of his unquenchable gentic healing abilities which work just as quickly as Val’s advance to repair the damage done to its Master’s body. However the damage was so severe that even the dark side of the force could not both keep Varic’s body in tact and sustain his balance as Val sends a crushing standing side kick under Varic’s jaw (superkick), toppling the greatest threat to the galaxy backwards as he plummets into the fiery lake below.

VARIC – (fading scream) ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH

VAL – (watching Varic fall) Nothing beats a classic original…

Varic has no time to observe the molten pit approach his body, but he can feel the flames of heat snake around his flesh like serpents and quickly ensnare him as gravity pulls his genetic corpse under the blanket of shimmering gold, quickly driving him deeper and deeper into the depths below.

Lon is stunned, absolutely stunned as Val lifts his body through the air with an outstretched hand, then settles his injured form onto the safety of the throne room floor. What could be said? Lon watched Varic drive his sword through Val’s body and here he was in the flesh!

LON – Val how did you? (cut off)

As Lon opened his mouth to speak, free of the shock collar Val snapped his finger up and signaled for him to remain silent.

Turning just his head, Val whipped his radiant eyes towards Gen and used the force to quickly withdraw the metal stakes piercing her shoulders as her body instantly dropped down, caught by Val’s mastery as it was turned so that Gen laid across an invisible cushion of air and glided across the throne room to the dais, settling into Val’s open arms as he embraced her, then slowly laid her along the floor.

He didn’t speak any words, only his body revealed what he felt as he looked to Gen’s bloodstained figure sprawled out before him. He could feel the power of his newly genetic blood course through his veins. Val didn’t quite understand exactly how he managed to achieve the impossible, nor did he fully comprehend the abilities he was now granted in the guise of a perfect cloned body of himself.

Finally it was all coming together. The three clone tubes atop Varic’s throne each contained a clone body composed of 100% DNA before the master strand which created Varic could be attained. This meant that when Varic was crafted by Skel, he unified the blood of all three clone bodies without the necessity of them having a living consciousness. On a genetic level, he fused the midi-clorian counts of all three cloned specimens which meant that when Val witnessed the Anakin clone and the Cire clone topple out of the shattered tubes, that the third tube had to have contained a perfect clone of himself.

This is why Val allowed Varic to slay him without resistance. Val had finished the puzzle and realized the big picture. Obi Wan warned him of his return to becoming the Jedi Slayer and in the end, all of the power the Slayer granted was reversed…it wasn’t the dark side that defeated Varic’s unstoppable might, it was once and for all beyond a shadow of a doubt Val’s love for Gen.

Love had given Val the strength to face death…and defy it.

He knew in order to resolve his growing frailty that as Obi Wan had proclaimed he would finally need to face his destiny…to face eternity. However, fate granted Val a second chance and with a new clone body independent of the toxin Cire had injected into Val’s form with his razor sharp claws…this body was not infected with the deadly binary toxin.

Varic in all of his superiority did not consider that by placing his “makers” as trophies to his greatness upon his dais he gave Val the keys to cheat death. Not only had Val returned in a new body but his spirit was entirely fused with the superior vessel and with his form no longer facing the effects of the virus, he was not only free to live as long as he desired but being a man returned to the age of 25, the age difference between Gen and himself vanished!

Neither fortune nor glory could give Val a greater gift then what the guardians of the force had bestowed upon him…a second chance to live the life he should have had in the past. However Gen was in severe physical condition and Val through his knowledge of genetics studying the effects of his previous infection knew just how to heal her.

Lon watched as Val’s eyes closed. Having extinguished Gen’s lightsaber before hand Val spun the handle around and quickly slashed into his palm with the sharp triangular ends of the weapon. A line of vibrant blood formed as he placed it over Gen’s lips.

VAL – (whispering) No baby…hang on to your last breath…it’s not your time.

Moments later Val’s body began to glow with a radiant white light as he scooped Gen up in his arms and guided the drops of blood to trickle down her throat. Instinctively although barely aware of her surroundings, the shift forced Gen to swallow the pooling crimson liquid as it began to sweep through the circulatory system of her body.

Val’s eyes swelled with tears as he clutched Gen against him, tipping her glazed over eyes to gaze deep into his concerned orbs. Suddenly Gen’s body lurched hard upward as the power of the blood began to mingle with her own essence and swiftly replicate. It was an instance of great pain as all of Gen’s muscles contracted at once, tensing every fiber of her being but Val clenched her tight to him, letting the throbbing sensation filter through her.

Her heart pulsated faster and faster as Gen’s lips suddenly parted wide sucking in a deep rush of air into her restoring lungs. The wounds within her shoulders sealed over and all of her internal injuries mended themselves as torn muscle reattached and fractures strengthened. Not more then a few minutes time, her body was completely rejuvenated by the sheer intensity of Val’s bloodline fused with her own.

Her midi-clorian count climbed rapidly to 65,000 and she snapped her eyes open instantly with the jolt of energy rippling through her. Only in that fraction of a second did she clearly gaze into the eyes of her most cherished possession…speechless as she entwined her fingers through his brown hair and kissed him passionately, pressing her breasts into his bare chest as Val’s hands wrapped around Gen’s voluptuous curves completely swept in the moment.

Meanwhile with the force back under his control, Lon shot his eyes up to Xola’s cage and focused on the chain. Having already evoked the force to begin healing his body, Lon snapped the links as Xola’s cage plummeted down but the skilled Padawan swiftly halted the fall as the metallic structure settled to the floor, stopped not by its force resistant material but by the end of the chain.

While Val and Gen kissed with such passion the white glow surrounding Val’s body began to surround both of the fated lovers in its brilliance, Lon dashed to the cage and ripped off the door, pulling Xola free as he followed in the footsteps of his Master and kissed her with all of his passion, cradling her flush against his body with vigor and unrelenting desire.

Val looped his fingers through Gen’s vibrant purple-pink locks as his fingers splayed along her cheek. Flesh to flesh, their lips pressed to one another while their tongues danced in unison. Burning passion filled Gen’s body as she raked her nails down the robe surrounding Val’s back, never wanting to let go…never wanting to have her champion leave her embrace. Both Val and Lon freely exploited the rewards of their endurance with the women they cherished.

Xola’s eyes were narrowed to passionate slits as Lon’s fingers wove through her ice blue tresses. No one cared about how and why they were free or healed or returned from the grave, in that instance time stood still as the physical touch they had been longing for was finally achieved…an embrace that Varic denied all of them, now free of his tyranny.

At last as the passion returned to reason, Val broke the kiss with Gen staring into her irresistible purple oceans, sparkling with admiration and relief.

VAL – Eternal love, forever bound. Everything I did, everything I had to do…I did it for you.

GEN – (teary eyed) I…I know. I could not endure without you Beloved; I could not fathom a world without you here. I’d fight for you, I’d die for you…you are the breath that gives me life each day that I wake.

VAL – (running his fingers along Gen’s cheek) I’ve done enough dying and fighting for the both of us. Terra’s death is avenged and Varic’s rule is over. All that remains is to contact VT and retrieve aid…then I’m finally going to marry you Gen and make you the happiest bride in the galaxy.

GEN – (winks) Do not neglect to mention the wealthiest dearest. 50% of what you own is mine and don’t you forget it.

LON – (clears his throat) Ummm I hate to break up the gushy romantic moment but we still have to find a way to get out of this damned inferno.

Lon dangled his fingers through Xola’s hair as the petite ice blue vixen stood at his side, beaming with joy. Gen also stood arm and arm with Val as the two passed a glance to one another, yet another reflection of their similarities. Both Val and Lon were forced to watch their women suffer at the hands of Varic and now both had successfully retrieved what was taken from them.