Chapter 3

Stars.

Ever sparkling, ever burning, they spattered the sky in a brilliant wash of light.

Unfortunately, even the brilliance of the heavens was lost upon those who sat in darkness.

Ebon hull sucking away any forthcoming light, the peculiar vessel appeared as nothing more than a shadow amongst the gloom between stars.

It was amongst this mystery, that a being of darkness stood.

Face concealed, and head covered, only the figure's shimmering amber eyes caused the utter blackness to give way as it clung to her shoulders. Coiling and purring about her, the shadows seemed almost... Alive.

"Milady, the gravity well is in place," a calm, obedient voice carried through the command center of the unmarked vessel, it's source a brawny human.

"Excellent, Drexen," came the living shadow's response, not bothering to face the dark-skinned technician. "Make sure all weapons and stealth modules are functioning. We will have quite the mess on our hands, come their arrival." Thick cords of scarred flesh stretching as the man flexed his hands on the vibroblade at his hip, he offered a curt nod.

"It will be done, Milady."

Just as predicted, a great armored vessel broke through the stars, hyperspace shattering around it without sound, and without sight.

In the sudden stillness, the occupants of said vessel looked about in confusion and discontent.

But not terror.

Not fear.

That was yet to come.

Like a great leviathan from the depths of space, the cause of the transport's misfortune rose to greet its prey.

All eyes snap to my steel sarcophagus at my words of warning. The Captain of the guard—ever so brave before his men— steps forward at last, metallic footstep breaking the almost rhythmic silence that hung between my rattling artificial breaths.

"What trickery do you speak, Dark Lord?" His words come strongly, yes, in the full enclosure…

But I can practically taste his underlying uncertainty.

"We merely had a slight hyperdrive malfunction, is all," another voice pipes up, as if to support the officer, "I'm sure we'll be back on schedule soon enough."

Of course they would think that, blind as the ship is with opaque blast shields sheathing all available viewports—from cockpit to cargo hold—from the cerulean swirl of hyperspace.

Despite myself, I find a wry and knowing smile passing, hidden on unseen lips as I watch them all, battle senses and the Force screaming at me the truth of their predicament.

Oh, if only knew how far 'off schedule' things are about to become.

Returning my attention to the Captain, I tip my head slightly in bemusement.

"I believe young Knight Skywalker will have an explanation for you soon enough."

As was usual in his life, Luke Skywalker once again found himself ever grateful for the Force, mainly for two reasons in this particular case.

One, for keeping his head from slamming through the console at the sudden tearing from hyperspace mid-travel… And another for alerting him of incoming shots before they were even fired.

Green laser fire shears through the darkness. The deadly anti-fighter bolts slicing through where Luke's worn X-Wing had been not even a moment before.

But that was not what spurred Skywalker into action.

Not completely.

Rather… It was the ship.

Akin to the Basilisk war droids of old, the great ebon behemoth stretched forth gargantuan doonium arms, swiveling turrets and cannons spraying deadly green energy upon the small group of ships. Ever reaching towards its primary target…

"Rogues!" He screams into the comm channel between fighters, "Break formation and engage immediately! I don't know what that thing is, but we have to keep it away from the transport, at all costs!"

A unified bark of understanding, and the six fighters splinter, returning emerald fire with the scarlet of their own.

To the beast of a ship, they are mere flies, shots merely scoring the surface in petty marks of wasted energy, or even glancing off the heavily armored appendages.

Kriff.

The singular curse echoed through the young pilot's mind as he ducked and weaved, dodging several more volleys of the deadly viridian energy.

"I told you this was a bad idea."

Familiar text flits across the screen, Luke absorbing the information almost instinctively in the midst of battle.

"Can it, Artoo," He retorts, grimacing as a nearby explosion shakes his deft fighter, "Just patch me through to the transport, alright?"

"Fine."

Not so much as a moment passes in the soundproofed hold before my son's strained tone crackles through to the cockpit-and by extent- the hold in which my guards and I are contained.

"Black Falcon, this is Red Five! I don't know if you've noticed, with your blast shields up, but we're under attack over here! Clear the viewports, and hightail it! There's a monstrosity flanking from behind, and I can tell you we're not enough to fight it off for long!"

"Copy that, Skywalker!" Dallows and the Captain sound off in unison, the trim officer sparing me not so much as a glance when he catches his partner's attention.

"Captain," he enunciates, "You and your men are to remain here at all costs, do you understand? We cannot risk the loss of our prisoner!"

A snap of unified nodding helmets satisfies the officer, and he sweeps once again into the cockpit, sealing himself with the pilots beyond the soundproof door.

Sighing internally, I resign myself to observing.

Not with my eyes, of course.

But with the Force.

Corporeal becomes ethereal.

Flesh into soul.

Everything melts away.

Even the stars themselves…

All things die, Anakin Skywalker…

The voice is haunting, yet delivered in a sweetness that cannot be denied, like a siren's call to my broken mind.

It was the voice of the dragon within my soul… That Darkness that I believed had so thoroughly consumed me…

Destroyed me.

And everything I loved…

Shaking my mind from the poisonous grasp, I open my spiritual eyes to the scene before me.

Ships and starfighters are wrought of glass, allowing me to view the entirety of the Force, in all its glittering strands, as souls streak like comets all about me, born about in invisible ships, light trailing after them from the sheer speed.

Flashes of scarlet and viridian energy join the sparkling auras of the Force, pilots' lives glimmering brightly, before vanishing with the shattering of their vitreous steeds within the darkened vacuum.

One life though, stands out like no other amongst the swirling of fighters.

Luke.

His presence is that of a newborn star, blinding to those that look upon him without precaution as he burns all traces of Darkness in his wake.

And I revel at one so pure.

So strong.

I can feel his very heartbeat, very thoughts in the currents of energy. We, as father and son, are bound by unbreakable threads within this luminous plane.

A terrible screech reaches me, tearing along the threads as I witness a glancing blow crack the delicate crystalline ship containing the one life I value more than anything…

'I'm coming for you, my Master.'
Another voice slithers through my mind on a tendril of acidic shadow, burning and begging at me, like a forlorn and venomous pet seeking approval and reward.

Still enraptured at the pain in my soul as the beacon that is my child falls dark, I pay no heed to the hissing voice…

And the glass world shatters.

"Captain! we can't hol-!" A pilot's screams are cut short by a bolt of massive green energy, causing all aboard to fall grim.

Another pilot down.

Out of the precious six that had been allotted to them, four were already fallen.

Remaining stony and silent, the Guardsmen remain situated around their equally lifeless captive, prepared to fight to the death to prevent his freedom.

Fate, however, did not see fit to give them a choice in the matter.

Without so much as a blip of warning, behemoth claws cause the transport to scream, its durasteel hide twisting and shearing open beneath the massive pressure inflicted by the ebon monstrosity of a ship.

It was then, the Captain of the Republic Guardsmen knew he was right.

Six X-Wings, even with a Jedi at the helm, were no match for what could—or would— be thrown their way on this mission.

Be that as it may, not even the greatest clairvoyant in the galaxy could have predicted this.

Screams fall to silence in one deft twist of the craft, obsidian beast expelling the transport's contents into the vacuum of space, humans and aliens alike freezing almost instantly in the pure and unforgiving cold.

It is here, drifting amongst the stars, that I come to, still sealed in my binding sarcophagus. It is only thanks to my sealed respirator and suit that I am still alive.

'Master'

The voice comes to me again, and I open my eyes to the form of what appears to be a dark angel, sweeping from the stars, silhouetted in a brilliant and ghostly light by the heavenly glory at her back.

'I have found you, at last.'
Strangely, I find myself wordless at the contact, mind refusing to process the personage before me…

Until I meet her eyes.

Shining a lurid amber as they meet my lenses in a soft longing, it all falls into place.

'Lumiya...' I breathe mentally, knowing sound will not carry in the solitude of space.

'Master,' She returns, her triangular head dipping down down in submissiveness. Slender hands retrieve what looks to be several magnetic disks from her hips, and she connects them soundlessly to the metal of my prison, eyes never leaving mine.

'What are...' I attempt, before silence comes in the form of a delicate hand upon the grill of my mask.

'Hush, Master… We are freeing you.'

A sharp tug on the cables connecting us to the obsidian beast via magnetic disks, and we are pulled forward, sailing silently through the visceral darkness. Older than time itself, the utter blackness encompasses us, destruction long quiet after the death of the transport. Yet… At the same time…

It is full of holes.

Starlight glitters off of floating debris, twisted and burned bodies as well, crystals of ice having encased them amidst the battle. Refracted light dances all about us, only catching in the form of brief flickers and flashes across the both of us—machine-people that we were—the light seems almost to be attracted to us, reflecting off all our mechanical and shining pieces…

Perhaps that is why the light never reaches our souls.

Breaking myself from this deep contemplation, I look once again to what fate lies before me.

Great bay doors part before me, flooding the darkness with yet another shaft of artificial light, so harsh in comparison with the stars' almost ethereal presence as heavenly bodies.

And for once… I welcome it as it enfolds us, ship having swallowed us up at last.

Before I can even form any proper words, a lance of poison strikes my mind, and I see a starship… Nestled in the bay as we are drawn through and settled on the ground, magnetic clasps detaching loudly in the air-afforded space.

But it is no ordinary starship.

Crippled as it was, it would take an experienced eye to understand what they were seeing.

If I was anything though… It was experienced.

Eyes resting upon the spiderwebbed transparisteel of the cockpit, and shredded foils of a scuffed and battered Allian—ahem—Republic fighter, a single instinctive word spears through my mind.

Luke.

A/N: Heya guys! I bring you an update (FINALLY)

Anyway, things got a little more action!

And just for any of you hardcore EU fans out there, just know that I have NEVER written our fine Dark Lady before (Heck, or read anything on her outside the Wookiepedia articles) so forgive me any OCness!

Hope you liked this installment, as I am hoping to update more frequently!

Reviews are ALWAYS loved! And I will take whatever you guys have to offer! I LOVE in-depths and critiques!

Thank you also, to all of my current reviewers, for showing interest!

-Talicor