Dawn of Forever, Part XXI-XXX

[Sonnenburg]

Part XXX


Two red blades were up against two blue blades. It was impossible to tell which was pushing at which, but it was clear from the look on the two men's faces that if they could have their way they'd push it right through the other man. The air stank of ozone, and sweat, and rage.

The battle had gone on for some time, each holding his own. Sebastian was analytical; he'd studied Ben's moves many times and fought using his known strengths and weaknesses. Ben was artistic; he fought with instincts and passion, being unafraid to improvise. Both were fueled by their anger; each believed that all the misery in their life was the fault of the other. This wasn't the usual Jedi versus Sith rivalry, or the inevitable power struggles that plagued the Sith, or the bitter necessity of the Jedi. If they were two cave men armed with nothing but rocks, these two would still fight to the bitter end. It was a hatred in the bones, as if the mutual loathing that Annika Hansen and Mara Jade had for one another had been passed down genetically to their sons. But it was even more than that. For Ben, anger was natural, and to think of all he'd lost, and all that his counterpart had unfairly been given, made it easy to pour all his rage on Sebastian. And for Sebastian, whose nature as Jedi and Borg taught him to control emotion, the raw wound of his wife's murder tapped into all of the repressed anger in his heart.

Sebastian's double blades twisted to catch Ben's dual swings. Up down up down, Ben was attacking, but Sebastian was advancing, so the two moved in a circle, looking for the opening. Sebastian spun the saber in one hand, nearly slicing through Ben's legs; he was forced to duck as Ben leapt and tried beheading him. Sebastian pirouetted and tried lancing Ben through the chest, but Ben sidestepped and sliced as Sebastian whirled back the other direction to avoid the strike and swing horizontally. Ben's other blade snapped up and caught it, so Sebastian ducked and brought the other blade up and over his head to strike from the other direction; Ben caught it, and once again the four blades were locked together. They pushed apart, stepped back, and the two slowly began circling one another, looking at the other with visible contempt. Ben was the one who charged again, blades swinging with fury. Sebastian refused to give ground, and his double-bladed saber seemed to be constantly spinning as he held off all the attacks, then moved onto the offensive.

The duel went on for over half an hour. The Romulan authorities had decided to hold back; they'd seen what Ben could do to a team of crack royal guards, and antagonizing either of the duelists looked to be a very bad idea. The general hope was that the two would kill each other.

Sebastian was practically shoving Ben backwards. Left right left right down up left right, the strikes were going swift and hard. There was no doubt for anyone, including Sebastian, that he was using the dark side in this fight as much as Ben was. It was the only thing that had kept him alive. He didn't have Ben's experience, but he had the image of his wife's mangled corpse in his mind's eye, and it fueled him. It mostly made up for Ben's advantage.

Mostly.

Ben brought both his blades up and through the center of Sebastian's double-bladed lightsaber. There was a small explosion and the two halves pushed out in opposite directions, so that when Ben swung back down he sheared through both of Sebastian's arms near the shoulder. Sebastian screamed and collapsed under the intensity of the pain.

Sebastian lay on the ground, panting in fear and rage. Ben stood over him, savoring it all. "You were right to run," he sneered. "I always will be the stronger Jedi."

But instead of riling Sebastian up further, the words pierced through the fog. He’s right, Sebastian thought. But you’re not just a Jedi... Remember what you told your daughter? Alloys are stronger.

Sebastian blasted Ben with a Force push, using the momentary distraction to concentrate everything he had. He flung himself at Ben, screaming in pain. But two assimilation tubules pierced the cauterized flesh of each of his stumps, oozing blood as they did so. They hit Ben in the hands fast, like the sting of a whip. Ben was enraged and swung; Sebastian moved, but not quickly enough, and the blade sliced through the front half of Sebastian's human leg. Sebastian dropped to the ground with a howl of pain. Ben raised the saber for the kill, and promptly dropped his lightsaber. He stared at it in confusion, then felt pain course through his hands. "What did you do to me?!!" he roared.

Sebastian turned himself over with his good leg. He was breathing heavily through his teeth, but there was a smile on his face. "I... always will be... the stronger... cyborg." And Ben's bionic arm and hand severed themselves from his body, and it was Ben’s turn to drop in pain. Sebastian concentrated again, and stabbed Ben’s bionic arm with his assimilation tubules, pulling it up to the tender flesh of his arm. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but under the circumstances, it was more than enough. Ben tried pushing himself away on his back. "Where do you think... you're going?" Sebastian demanded as he scooped up Ben's lightsaber. "You're mine now," he said as he limped toward him, almost falling over in the process. "Resistance... is futile... you son of a bitch!"

Sebastian propped himself up against some fallen masonry with the stump of his left arm, and pointed his saber at Ben. He was breathing through his nostrils like a bull, eyes locked on the fallen Sith. Everything he had been taught about light and dark was lost in the face of his hate. The stoic principles of dead Jedi were of no consequence. The only fact that counted was that when Sebastian looked at Ben, all he could see was a void. The void in his home, in his bed, in his heart, in his life, left when Jorrielle Sunspring Skywalker was taken away from him. And despite what she had said, the pain didn't ache any less now, and all he could think of was that maybe this was his only chance. Maybe, if he swung this weapon... maybe it would finally stop hurting.

Ben fumed up at him, and it was so easy. It didn't matter who was Jedi or Sith. It didn't matter that he'd sworn never to cross this line. It didn't matter that this was his counterpart, a reflection of what could have been if things had gone wrong in his life. It didn't matter what his father and mother had said, or Jorri, or anyone. It didn't matter if this was justice or vengeance. He had to do this, HAD TO! He gritted his teeth and raised the weapon, and took pleasure in the look of fear that flashed across Ben's face. He held it there, drawing out the moment when it would fall. Longer... Longer...

But it wouldn't. He wanted to do it so badly, but he couldn't. Because Morgan Skywalker was watching him, through his eyes... and he couldn't disappoint his little girl again.

Sebastian switched off the lightsaber. When he spoke, his voice was saturated with exhaustion. "Jedi don't execute their prisoners."

Ben snarled at him. "That's because you are weak!"

Sebastian took a deep breath, then turned away. "I can live with that."
--------------------------------------------------------------

"No." It was barely audible, but for Annika, it was as clear and bright as a fanfare. "That's impossible."

"He's my son," Annika said, chest near bursting with pride. "You’re not the only one that doesn’t know the meaning of ‘can’t.’"

The victory was short-lived, as Force lightning picked Annika up and tossed her across the room, hitting the wall hard with her face before dropping and rolling on the floor. The Oracle had crossed the distance to her before she even hit the floor. "You did this," she rumbled, her voice filled with accusation. "Somehow you interfered!"

"This is the Dark side you crow about?" Annika said, lips red with blood from the impact, but smiling just the same. "Anger, fear, and excuses." Her mouth opened in silent scream at the pain of more lightning, but the thrill of the Oracle's defeat was fresh enough to allow her to endure it. "Your plan's backfired on you, captain. The galaxies aren't going to follow some manipulative old witch! They'll take a leader with a moral compass so strong, he'll spare his mortal enemy simply because it's right."

The Oracle's lip trembled and Annika was certain she was going to kill her, but instead she whirled back to the monitors. "Molly," she said sharply as the woman appeared on them. "Get that idiot and return here at once."

"But the mission-"

"You two have fouled things up enough for one day," the Oracle said. The monitors went dark, and she stood there and fumed.

Annika pulled herself to her feet. "Captain... Kathryn..." she stumbled towards her. "Take a moment to stop and think. You have your revenge now. You destroyed the Empire, and it's not coming back. You've won! Why can't that be enough?" She put her hand on the Oracle's shoulder. "Why can't this end now?"

The Oracle turned; her eyes were gone, replaced by emptiness. When she spoke, her voice had an echo, no, more than an echo, as if countless voices were trying to speak the same words. "Have you any idea how long I have plotted?" she demanded as Annika stumbled away and fell over backwards. "Years... centuries... millennia... ages! And I did not do this so some bastard child of yours could steal my prize from me! The galaxies will be mine, or they will be destroyed!"
--------------------------------------------------------------

"Now that you've finished," the Borg Queen said, "may we finally get on with the plan?"

"We need to take him into custody," Sebastian said. "He's too dangerous to be left to run free."

"You think the Borg can hold me?!" Ben said. "I'll get out again, and I will kill you and the rest of the Jedi unless you finish it now!" He seethed. “Finish it!” Sebastian said nothing. “I’ll kill everyone you’ve ever loved!”

Sebastian still refused to look at him. "I hate you Ben," he said. "I hate what you've done to me... what you’ve turned me into.” An angry breath slipped through his teeth. “I probably hate you as much as you hate me. But that last step is a step too far." Adrenaline gave way to exhaustion, and he leaned against the wall for support.

“I know where your mother is! I’ll kill her too, I swear! Her, Anakin, Jaina, Han, everyone!”

Sebastian didn’t move a muscle. When he spoke, his voice was full of grim acceptance. “Go ahead.” He casually threw the lightsaber away.

“Do you actually think you can win if you let me live?!”

“I lost before I ever heard of Vidik,” Sebastian said. “And so did you.” He turned back to Ben, and the anger on the Sith’s face seemed to fade for the first time, as he recognized the truth. The brothers, from different universes though they may be, had let their hatred for each other destroy themselves in the process. “Standing over your corpse won’t change a damn thing.”

Ben swallowed, then tried to speak in a confident voice. “I’ll kill them-“

“No. No, you won’t.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “Look at us. Two grown men, beating the crap out of each other, as if a fist or a lightsaber can solve a problem that the mind can’t. What a pointless feud.”

“I’m your nemesis!”

“You’re my shortcomings!” Sebastian shot back. “You’re the target for my every failure, because it’s sooo easy to hate you! But I was the one who wasn’t there for my wife... I was the one who had the responsibility and didn’t measure up!” He closed his eyes and squeezed the ill-fitting hand. Jorri’s words still haunted him: We both need you, more than the galaxies do. But he hadn’t listened. “No one is ever going to give me that second chance, not even if I destroy you.” He took a steadying breath. “Will killing me give you the power you want, Ben? Will it make it easier to get up each morning and face your life? Heh, but then, I guess you must have already figured that one out...” There was the sound of a transporter, and it wasn't a Borg one. "No!" he stumbled at the vanishing body, but it was too late. "Track that transporter!" he said to the Queen. He had no intention of killing Ben, but the Sith was still too dangerous to be left to roam free.

"There's a great deal of traffic-"

"Find him!"

The Queen paused. "And our work here?"

Sebastian stopped in mid-rebuke. He had him now! Finally! And he had to... had to... Had to see to it that the Vong didn't take this world and kill countless trillions of innocent people. "Do what you can," he said wearily, "but get me some help so I can talk with the... oh." A squad of Romulan soldiers were coming his way; Sebastian didn't seem nearly as dangerous now as he had when he had four functioning limbs. He recognized the governor of Vidik amongst them. Sebastian tried his best to straighten up; it didn’t look terribly impressive when his remaining arm fell off, but he gave it a whirl. "Governor, sir. Sebastian Skywalker on behalf of the Borg. We apologize for the fear we've caused, but we were unable to reach you through communications."

"What are you doing here?" the Governor asked. It was the usual Romulan tone, balanced evenly between simple curiosity and outright accusation.

"The Vong want Vidik, sir, and all the members of the Council. There’s not enough time for an evacuation, so you’ll have to fight, but we can help you. We have ships and destroyer droids to aid in the defense of your world."

"I see," the Governor said. "And what is the cost of the Borg's aid, these days?"

Sebastian was going to call it charity, but then he remembered that everything was still being recorded and broadcast. "It's steep, sir. The price is, when someone else needs the help of your people, that you be there for them." Sebastian coughed. "That when it's someone else's planet at stake, that you give them the same help you've been given today."

A smile flickered briefly on the Governor's face; he was a politician, after all. "Your terms, Mr. Skywalker, are acceptable, and we thank your people for their aid. In the meantime, we should take you to see a doctor."

"Thank you, but there's no need," Sebastian said. "My friends have been handling this kind of thing for a long, long time."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Molly had the cloaking device in place, and in the chaos, no one seemed interested in the stolen ship. Ben sat in the co-pilot chair, refusing to go to the sickbay for his wounds. He was even moodier than usual, and she understood why. Failure at the hands of the person he hated most, in addition to failing the Oracle once again. Molly shook her head as she plotted a course for home. Things didn't look good for her master. “It’ll be all right, Ben,” she offered.

“It’s horrible,” Ben said quietly.

“I know,” she said. “But next time you will defeat him?”

Ben shook his head. “You don’t understand, Molly... I beat him.” A grunt of frustration escaped. “I’ve kriffing beaten him!” he wailed before lapsing into a dark silence.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Sebastian lay on an assimilation table, which wasn't the most comfortable environment he'd ever been in. The Borg were attaching cybernetic arms to his stumps, and were kind enough to numb the nerves to stop the mind-shattering pain it would have caused otherwise. "The Vong will arrive within the hour," the Queen said. "Their fleet will be no match for us, though with the numbers involved there is a chance they may manage to land forces on the planet itself."

"We'll fight them on the surface as well, if we must," Sebastian said. "We have the droids for it." He sighed, then flexed his new limbs. They felt natural, though they weren't the prettiest things he'd ever seen. Borg, short on form, long on function. Still, they just looked like he was sporting long black leather gloves; it'd do.

A large saw was taken out. "What the hell are you planning to do with that?" Sebastian demanded.

"We need to amputate your leg," the Queen said.

"Uh-uh," Sebastian said with a shake of his head. "No."

"The limb has been badly damaged."

"But you can repair it," Sebastian said.

"Not fully," the Queen said. "Muscles have been destroyed; you cannot properly walk again with it."

"Is it a direct danger to my health?"

"No," the Queen admitted.

"Then it stays," Sebastian said. "I already had to say yes to amputation once, I'm not doing so again unless I'll die."

"Then you will be a cripple," the Queen said point blank.

Sebastian shrugged. "I've been called worse. Fix the leg."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Sebastian appeared in the center of the square, flanked by two drones in case there was a malfunction with his new cybernetic limbs. Immediately they were the center of attention for those reporting on the event. Sebastian smiled, then turned and, using his new cane for support, hobbled his way towards the building. "You people should get to the shelters," he called. "It's not safe, not yet." He smirked. "But it will be before we're finished." He climbed the stairs, still getting used to walking this way, and entered the command center for the defense of Vidik.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Vong fleet of bioships emerged over Vidik, only to find hundreds of Borg cubes waiting for them. Energy beams and green torpedoes bombarded the Vong before they knew what was happening, overwhelming dozens of ships in the first few seconds. The Vong mind quickly assessed the situation and began their engagement, but the Borg adaptive shielding and the heavy armor of the tactical cubes necessitated concentrated attacks. Of course, the Vong had superior numbers, and some managed to slip past the Borg to fire capsules at the planet, erupting with sickly organisms. Romulan weapons-fire and destroyer droid blasters minced them where they stood.

The scene paused and a woman appeared on the monitor. "The single victory against the Vong today occurred thanks to the Borg Collective LLC. Working with Romulan forces, the Borg managed to repel the Vong invasion force when it tried seizing the planet Vidik. Vidik, of course, is where the Vidik Council has been looking into legal remedies for the Empire's use of terror weapons against civilian targets. While the Romulan forces kept landed Vong forces from entering the city, it was universally agreed that the Borg defenses both in space and on the ground were the key to today's victory. Sebastian Skywalker, who was witnessed fighting the mysterious assassin of the Emperor on Vidik earlier that day, made a brief statement after the battle was over."

The Oracle seethed as she stared at the monitor, hatred written on her every feature. The desk under her hands began to melt and bubble.

"I regret that the Sith assassin escaped," Sebastian said. "But I regret more that we simply weren't able to save everyone the Vong have viciously attacked this day. But together, we were able to hold the line, and I believe together, we can push it back. So I promise you, whether your world was taken in today's onslaught, or whether you have lived under the heel of the Vong elsewhere, we are coming. We are coming... and you again will know what it is to live free."

[Crazedwraith]

Damn.

After that build up the batle seemed almost anticlimatic. Very understated but with the coolest end ever. The only time I can think of where slashing off a limb didn't end the fight.

Though some exanation of why the Oracle's predictions failed would be nice.

And do I detect a slight Aliens homage there? It mostly made up for Ben's advantage...Mostly."

[Dalton]

Yeah! Sebastian, finally living up to the prophecy.

[Chris OFarrell]

Janeway is going to be *pissed*

In any other fanfic, I'd laugh out loud at that statement. In this one however....

Keep it comming Chuck!

[Sonnenburg]

Though some exanation of why the Oracle's predictions failed would be nice.

Things which are "outside" of things are beyond what the Oracle can see, like Ben Sisko getting to Ben Skywalker through the lightsaber. Morgan Skywalker isn't really a real person, but she's real in the mind of Sebastian. You might notice that she's the only thing that's holding him back, that if she wasn't a factor he would have killed Ben, so when she's taken out of the equation the Oracle's view holds true.

From a purely psychological point of view, what holds Sebastian back is really something that could never have been considered. The Oracle knew that nothing anyone said to Sebastian about his duty or morality was going to stay his hand at the end, that his hatred would be too great. What was beyond her ability to see was Sebastian's feelings as a father, and of the experience of having your child look at you as a failure, that that kind of feeling could be even stronger than what he felt.

In other words, his hatred for his wife's killer wasn't greater than his love for his daughter.

[2000AD]

...
..
.

WE'RE NOT WORTHY, WE'RE NOT WORTHY ! [/Wayne's World]

[consequences]

I have to say, I'm gravely disappointed with this chapter. It was very nearly a perfect masterwork, combining all of the brilliant action, drama, and characterisation that we all love about this continuing story. But there is one crucial element missing. The chapter number just reached an integer divisible by ten, and Janeway still lives.

Without that defect, the chapter would easily rate a 9.995. As it stands, it scores a -567.3.

[phongn]

I have to say, I'm gravely disappointed with this chapter. It was very nearly a perfect masterwork, combining all of the brilliant action, drama, and characterisation that we all love about this continuing story. But there is one crucial element missing. The chapter number just reached an integer divisible by ten, and Janeway still lives.

Dude, I've been waiting to see her offed for years in this story.

[LordShaithis]

Didn't Seven almost immediately reattach a limb severed by lightsaber in her duel with Darth Whind? You'd think Sebastian could do something similar.

[Crayz9000]

Didn't Seven almost immediately reattach a limb severed by lightsaber in her duel with Darth Whind? You'd think Sebastian could do something similar.

How do you hold a limb to reattach it when you don't have an arm to hold it?

[Star Empire]

I really loved that. I was shocked that Seven survived the chapter, but now that I think of it, Janeway is smart enough to know she can still be an asset. Thank you Chuck. Now, what is Janeway going to do? I've got a feeling it isn't going to be pleasent.

[Star Empire]

Just thought I should write one more post to say how excellent that last chapter was. I need to say this too, anyone who can make Janeway a better and more evil villian than Vader and Palpatine combined has got to have a lot of talent. As impossible as it seems, this story just keep getting better and better (I'm going to be sad to see it go in another 10 chapters).