A Living Nightmare
Chapter 13: Fallen Ferus
"The Dark Side is not a leap but a stumble—a misstep in moments of fear that echoes through a lifetime."
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Location: Ballassa- Ussa City Outskirts
Two cooling corpses lay nearby, wounds cauterized by lightsaber blades. My own weapon and that of Malorum were strewn somewhere on the grassy hillside. Twin moons hung overhead, and the city's lights off in the distance allowed Ferus enough light to see me fully. Shaking hands were spread out, palms raised in an attempt to pacify his anger. I still wore the beggar's attire, the cold air causing me to shiver lightly—making me dearly wish for my temperature-controlled uniform.
I could feel the conflict within the former Jedi turned mechanic. Boiling rage threatened to break free and kill me without mercy, tempered by what remained in his heart of the strict Jedi Code, and the love he held for the man whose head lay at his feet.
“Let me help you. I can keep your friends safe. This wasn’t supposed to happen, Ferus,” I calmly stated, letting my honesty pour into the words as I spoke. I didn’t dare try to lace them with a Force-fueled influence. “Malorum… he should have died on Naboo years ago.”
The words broke free from my mouth before I could think of the repercussions. Yet, the words when spoken echoed back to me, not reaching Ferus’ ears as intelligible speech. Whispers of power, words of the ancient Sith. A language long dead, and one I only recalled from the few appearances in the music of the films or games. A pain bloomed in my head, as if in warning not to dare speak of such things again.
The Force, it seemed, does not take kindly to disrupting events in such a way, but it was odd. Killing Kota did not bring such a response. Perhaps it was due to the importance of a person in the grand scheme that it willed to play? Whatever the situational trigger was, I didn’t have time to ponder.
Vrrrrmm
The sound of a saber activating and being thrown simultaneously reached my ears as my senses picked up on the small Force connection that Ferus made with his saber the second before he threw it.
I dove out of the way, ducking and dodging the saber throw, reaching out with the Force to pull both of the weapons back to me as I came out of the roll.
The saber circled back around far faster than I anticipated, and I heard Ferus’ footfalls rushing across the tall grass. Both sabers landed in my hands, and I dropped into the grass as the blue blade sliced the edges of the grass and where my torso had been.
Ferus leapt into the air, the saber reaching him midway as I ignited the red blades to intercept his oncoming strike.
The clashing of sabers sent sparks flying into the night, the hum and crackle of our weapons filling the air. Ferus’ face was twisted in rage, and I could feel the pulse of his anger surging through the Force. I shifted my stance, blocking his strikes and attempting to find an opening. He was relentless, his strikes coming faster and harder, and I knew I had to stay on the defensive.
Suddenly, Ferus pulled back, his hand crackling with energy. A bolt of Force Lightning arced toward me, and I crossed my sabers in front of me, absorbing the attack. The energy surged through the blades, humming with intensity as I held my ground, my muscles straining.
Ferus pressed the attack, swinging his saber while bolts of lightning shot from his fingertips between strikes. I twisted and parried, using my sabers to absorb the lightning and deflect his strikes. He was relentless, his attacks fueled by a desperation that gave him strength. I could feel his emotions—anger, grief, pain—all coalescing into a single purpose: to destroy me.
Ferus was proving to be a quick study. He adapted to my movements, anticipating my parries and adjusting his strikes. He was reading my techniques, learning my patterns, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to predict his next move. I had to stay a step ahead, but he was making that nearly impossible.
I spun away from a powerful strike, only to feel a sudden ripple in the Force. My eyes darted to the corpse of Roan, and I saw a blaster rifle levitating into the air. Ferus reached out with the Force, and the blaster fired. The bolt grazed my leg, searing pain shooting up my thigh as I stumbled back, barely managing to keep my balance.
The pain was a distraction, and Ferus seized the opportunity. He lunged forward, his saber crashing against mine with a force that nearly knocked me off my feet. I could feel the weight of his strikes, his determination to end this. He was not holding back, and I could sense that he was willing to do whatever it took to see me fall.
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Our sabers locked, and I pushed back with all my strength, breaking the lock and stepping away. But Ferus was already moving, his eyes filled with fury as he swung his saber once more. I brought up Malorum's saber to block, but his strike was too strong. The blade shattered in my hand, the crystal within splintering as the saber was destroyed. I was left with only my own weapon, the red blade humming ominously in the dark.
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Ferus pressed his advantage, driving me back step by step. I could feel my strength waning, my muscles aching from the relentless onslaught. He was pushing me to my limits, and I knew I couldn't keep this up much longer. I had to find a way to turn the tide, but Ferus was giving me no room to breathe.
With a roar of anger, Ferus unleashed another wave of Force Lightning. I brought my saber up, the blade absorbing the energy, but the force of the attack drove me to my knees. The lightning crackled around me, the power of it almost overwhelming. My arms shook as I struggled to hold my saber steady, the energy coursing through the blade and threatening to break my defenses.
I had one chance. With a deep breath, I reached out with the Force, feeling the connection to my weapon. The hilt of my lightsaber split in two, detaching into separate blades. With a sudden burst of movement, I swung one of the sabers, cutting through the lightning and slicing toward Ferus. The blade found its mark, severing his hand at the wrist, and the lightning ceased immediately.
Ferus cried out in pain, stumbling back as his severed hand fell to the ground. I rose to my feet, both sabers ignited, one at his throat and the other at the back of his neck. He was breathing heavily, his eyes filled with pain and anger, but also a glimmer of fear.
“Yield,” I commanded, my voice steady despite the exhaustion I felt. “This fight is over.”
Ferus glared at me, his chest heaving as he struggled to contain his rage. For a moment, I thought he might refuse, that he would rather die than submit. But slowly, the fight left his eyes, and he slumped to his knees, his head bowed in defeat.
I deactivated one of my sabers, the other still held ready in case he tried anything. “It didn’t have to be this way, Ferus,” I said quietly. “But you gave me no choice.”
He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of hatred and sorrow. “You took everything from me,” he whispered, his voice raw with emotion. “I will never forgive you.”
I nodded, the weight of his words heavy in the cold night air. “As I told Kota,” I replied, “I don’t care. But you, Ferus Olin, are now a servant of the Empire.”
A blaster shot rang into the air, a stun blast hitting Ferus in the chest. I tossed Roan’s blaster away and pulled the commlink from the one pouch on my belt.
“Captain, get a read on my location. Bring a med team and a body disposal bag. I have a dead civilian and Malorum’s body to be disposed of.”
A moment passed. Whether due to his hesitation to reply over the shock, or to process what was spoken, his reply was simply, “Yes, sir.”
I steadied myself as I focused on getting the commlink to punch in another set of digits. A cold chill ran through my body as the device beeped, and I spoke again to someone on the other side.
“Lord Vader, the target has been captured as per your orders. Malorum died in the course of our attempt.”
The respirator echoed as the Dark Lord’s voice boomed into the still night air. “Very good, Inquisitor. Bring him to Mustafar. I will deal with him personally.”
The call ended, and I let out the breath I had been holding. I always hated making phone calls to my bosses in my old life—this was just a more dangerous form, since at least they couldn't kill you from light-years away.
The Force extended out from where I stood, granting me the location of where Ferus’ saber had fallen, and with a small smile of satisfaction, I brought it to my hand. It was warm, slightly moist from the sweat, and a small dual ring of leather near the middle of the hilt and at the bottom. It was nice, simple and easy to hold. Good for dueling but nothing fancy from what I could feel. It reminded me of Qui-Gon Jinn’s hilt if anything in terms of ergonomic design, without the deep grooves and single red button. The switch was small, no box or unnecessary nobs.
Another lightsaber for my collection. I thought, allowing my body and mind to calm down as I listened to the nighttime symphony that always played in the outdoors and along lakeside shores. I wished I could see like I used to, without relying on the Force and guesswork. It was these quiet moments that made me question everything I had done so far—every choice, every moment where I could have taken a different path. I could run. I could try to leave the Inquisitorius, the Empire, and flee into the Unknown Regions.
The worst part was that I wanted to stay. The order, the missions, the training—it all gave me purpose. It gave me a life I couldn’t have had anywhere else. It allowed me to feel free, even while being in a cage. I knew what I had done, and I knew it went against my better judgment. The truth was that I was afraid—afraid of the uncertainty that came with running away, afraid of losing this second chance at life. Selfishly clinging to what sense of purpose I had, I sacrificed others' freedoms for my own. A struggle of morality that I rationalized away as being part of a different world with different rules. I was stuck dealing with my own demons, and devils and here I was delivering an innocent man to one more vile than I.
Ferus’ breathing had calmed, still being knocked cold. Pity was there, sorrow for his friend being murdered. Yet I still stood, waiting for the ship to arrive. I heard the engines as they flew to where I was, the tell tale sound of an LAAT/le patrol ship thundering over the noisy wildlife,
With a weary sigh, I clipped the saber to my belt and ignited the rotary lightsaber I had, to let them see me better in the dark. Just another day in paradoxical paradise.