A Living Nightmare

Chapter 6: Show of Force

"This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."

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Location: Fortress Inquisitorius - Training Hall

"Again."

That flat, accented tone passed through sharp teeth, the alien's glowing yellow eyes looking down at me with cold disregard. The tip of the Utapau native's red blade edged closer to my throat, steady and unwavering despite the two hours we had spent training. The Grand Inquisitor was a machine, precise, quick and deadly.

He pulled his weapon away and backed up a few paces to allow me to collect myself off the durasteel floor. I reached for my lightsaber, calling it to my hand with a fragment of willful puppetry of the Force. The lithe former Jedi had flung it across the room with a single maneuver, swept my legs out from under me and would have removed me from this second life if he didn't have restraint. Or at the very least injure me severely.

I knew for a fact the others wouldn't have held back, still remembering the bruises, burns and broken bones I had gained over these past few weeks, months maybe? Time blurred with my new method of perception, and with the training regimen they had been putting me through, it left very little time to myself, other than returning to my bunk room for the time to rest. Constantly going from basic education, tactics, politics, and several forms of 'Jedi' training, whether it be with the lightsaber or the Force, I just felt exhausted.

Granted, I knew I had nothing else to do, no other responsibilities or duties, just betterment of my own body, mind and aptitude. I excelled well enough, but something about wielding a lightsaber, without sight, strictly with the Force after years of having sight…

I felt frustrated. I was tired, drained, and done with all of it. I sensed the calm, prideful Inquisitor no more than ten feet away, waiting for me to get up off the cold floor. Watching me with curiosity as he had, expecting something of interest to manifest. The ease with which he had defeated me every few days, for hours and hours. Barely speaking a few words, but his flippant attitude spoke volumes.

It pissed me off.

The cold rage that situated itself in my center, that coiling mass of emotions flowed into my limbs, granting me a sudden burst of speed, boosting the adrenaline I already had swimming in my veins.

Snap-hiss

I was ready to go for round eleven.

The gray skinned alien held his blade to his right side, left hand and forearm behind the back, making clear his stance was a utilization of Makashi. Made infamous by Count Dooku before and especially during the Clone Wars, it was a lightsaber form developed thousands of years ago to combat against other lightsaber wielders. A combat form born from a schism and now the perfect method for a Jedi hunter like the Grand Inquisitor. It was a form I wanted to learn, to adapt, and eventually exploit.

But for the moment, I only knew the basics of Shii-Cho, and applied it easily enough to what I remembered of swordplay and close combat from my old memories. They weren't much, but it helped nonetheless. Basic attack and defense zones, what to extend and what not to.

Funnily enough I didn't care. All I wanted was to do something, other than fail. Scant useful memories and Lightsaber Forms be damned.

I brought my left hand from my side, placing it above my right hand that held the metallic saber hilt. Two hands allowed for better control, more forceful attacks. Perfect to apply pressure against someone using a fencing style like the Grand Inquisitor. I didn't know a lick of the Djem So form, but I wanted to try to apply something out of the box, to focus that anger into strength.

Red light stabbed forwards, poised to strike right between the smug Pau'an's piss yellow eyes. The attack never reached, swatted aside by his sabers blade, the casual redirection having far more force than I expected and ended up pulling my momentum far more to my left than planned. A mistake exploited with haste when I sensed, then 'saw' a build up of dark side energies while the Inquisitor used his unoccupied left hand to Force Push my stupid ass. The dark side energies appeared as vibrant reddish purple vines creeping from without the empty void. Those slivers of power were channeling into his body and coalescing in his hand which then snapped out to me, palm open and slim fingers wide.

Out of reflex, I flinched, anticipating an impact. The energy launched was enough to cause me to stumble, and with my right side further exposed, I could feel those piss yellow eyes narrow, his blade coming for my neck. I ducked further to the left, using the redirected momentum and the lightsaber blade hummed over my head. I pushed my chances and swung again, aiming to slam into his right flank, but the Grand Inquisitor twisted around to block at speeds far faster than I had seen him move in all our previous sparring sessions.

I knew he had been holding back a bit, but this was something else. I could sense the fluctuations of energy with every move he made, drawing on the Force to empower his strikes, swift footwork, all of it. It was subtle but there nonetheless. I could see the energy as it was being manipulated, sense where it flowed and foresee, if only barely, where it would be used. A more visually stimulating form of the Jedi's fabled precognition that allowed them to defend against blaster bolts, sense imminent danger and Force enhanced assailants. It was clear which of us knew what they were doing.

Despite that, I still was gonna try. I was enjoying this level of challenge, this gulf in skill and fundamentals. I wasn't going to improve without something to push towards. I had to study his movements and adapt my own style to his.

I took a few steps back, trying best to keep my distance but I would have had much better luck pulling teeth from a rancor. The taller humanoid moved with practiced grace, stabbing the blade towards my legs with a lunge. I hopped over the attack, one leg out of the way, using the other to shove a boot to his gut. He staggered and I moved in, not wanting to waste a moment. Both hands gripping the saber hilt, blade tilted down and to the right, I sped to my target. Calling on the crucible of pent up rage, I empowered my strike, pushing the Grand Inquisitor's attempt to block the attack out of the way. If he didn't have a lightsaber, he would have been cleaved from his left hip to right shoulder, sadly since he did, he just backed up as I bat away his blocks.

It was a crude method, little finesse and the only thing going for me was sensing the Force in his motions, tiny pricks of energy that funneled into a movement of the hands, legs or outwards to sense my own intentions. Even with enhancing my strength with the dark side, it wasn't enough. I lacked the speed to keep his guard broken for long. His blade moved to intercept, his body slithered to avoid where his blade could not.

The lightsaber blade was the obvious problem, and my intentions, my attacks were too obvious. I realized that as I felt my body slowing down after the intensity of calling on the Force for longer than I had done before. Only for brief moments had I done it, but to actively call on it like this was something else entirely. I had to finish this up, call it a day. I lunged, going for another stab. He made a motion to toss the blade to the side. Panic set in when he saw the blade begin to retract, my hand reaching for the wrist of his sword arm. Rather than use the Force to empower my strength, I directed it to my lightsaber, willing the blade to retract quicker by manipulating the connection between myself and the crystal. The bond persisted after what occurred in the underground shrine, strengthening my connection to the dark side and allowed for little tricks like this one. I pressed the lightsaber emitter to the Grand Inquisitor's stomach, his wrist shackled by my free hand. I pushed myself just a fraction more, pulling from my reserves and willing the dark side to pressure the other humanoid's wrist.

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He dropped his lightsaber, the metal clanking to the durasteel floor. It was clear that the fight was over. I still didn't move, breathing heavily from exerting myself as much as I did. We both knew I could kill him right then and there, that temptation lingered. If he died, someone else would take his place, and I would end up punished severely or dead. There wasn't a way for me to see so far into the future, not yet at least. So I focused on the present, and let myself calm down my breathing with slow breathing.

I loosened my grip on his wrist, and pulled the inactive hilt away from the Grand Inquisitor's abdomen. "Well done." he grinned, reaching down to pick up the lightsaber he had been using. "Now, I believe that will be the end of our training for the evening."

I nodded, too tired to say anything, and placed my own saber onto the belt clip when a door opened at the far end of the training room, two pairs of boots filling the hall with echoes. I focused on these intruders, brushing my senses against their luminous energies, to see if they were a fellow brother or sister Inquisitor. They were neither. Both of their shapes were humanoid, but when trying to sense their thoughts, those were definitely not human. Aliens are difficult to read, and Force Sensitive ones doubly so. I could see the Force envelop them in a comforting warmth, though it paled in comparison to the chilled static cloud that hung around the Pau'an that maneuvered around the two. Thankfully even if their minds were hard to grasp, their movements still reverberated through the Force itself.

"Only one of you will leave this room alive.", informed the alien, walking to the door the other two had entered from. Two clunks of metal hitting durasteel punctuated his words, the older man having released the shackles on the two prisoners with the Force. They rubbed their wrists and looked at each other. The door shut, leaving the three of us alone. I could sense above, the many eyes from the one way viewing box that doubled as the security room.

Air filled my nose and exited through my mouth in an extra frustrated sigh. I get a miracle of a win, with a one time use trick, and what do I get? A goddamn death match. Not what I wanted, not what I needed. Food, a shower and some sleep was needed. I wanted to rush these two down and end them quickly, not play with them like I had that squad of 'stormies' on Coruscant. And if this was a final test of sorts to join the Inquisitors, I would be bummed at the lack of effort to make it interesting. Then again I would be pissed if this wasn't the final shitshow. There were only so many times I could be tested before a demand had to be made, and answers given. I just wanted to be done with the whole thing. I lacked the patience. I lacked strength.

Another option bloomed in my mind, and I decided to try a different approach. I put on a warm smile, and put my hand out, making my way to the alien that reminded me of a gentle summer tide.

"Hi, I'm Alonzo!", I chirped as best I could in my sorry state. "What's your name?"

"M-my name is Itokai." he politely greeted, taking my hand. Rodian, long fingers, rubbery hand. A timid creature, I could feel his fear, his anxiety. Good. I'd need that.

I gently shook his shoulder. "Never met a Rodian before." I kept that smile plastered on as I turned to the other life form in the room.

"Who might you be then?" I asked, releasing Itokai's hand and turning my back to him. "What species are you?"

"It doesn't matter if you'll be dead soon."

Feminine voice spoke that was sharpened with anger. I laughed, putting my hand out for her to take. She avoided the question, but no matter. "Nonsense! No reason we shouldn't know each other on a first name basis before we die."

I pushed just a little bit with that, hoping to break the ice. I felt a tug of the Force, seeing a little string of yellow energies attaching itself to the hilt of my lightsaber. She was going to try to grab it, and with it being the only weapon in the room, it was their only escape. Correction, her only escape. I let her think she had the upper hand, as I took the few steps I needed towards her.

"Come on girl, don't let your death be meaningless. Give us your name, so one of us can remember you." I pleaded with her. I spoke with some clarity, some experience on that matter. After all, what remains of you when you die and those who you interacted with die? Those memories can no longer be visited, all that is left is the name, and the impact you put forth from your actions. Okay, maybe not something so dramatic. I was in a different universe after my own death, or that is what I assumed. So who can really say what lingers on, after everything is gone? Philosophical questions and ponderings that were of little interest to the nameless woman.

That string the alien made was wound tight around the hilt and was yanked.

Itokai acted first, sensing a shift in the Force. These two aliens weren't just some civilians to test against my resolve. They were too young to have been Padawans during the Clone Wars. They were former younglings.

"No! Wai-", Itokai called out but his voice stuck in his throat. One little dark thread had slithered its way around his throat. Those rubbery fingers clawed at that dark thread, panic setting in as he slowly choked to death. He was unbalanced, not noticing the subtle probes I made to his barriers. Why use a lightsaber, when you have the Force? Palpatine himself had one, only to mock them, ridicule them, like the sassy bitch he was. Words and subterfuge can work wonders if used right, or blow up spectacularly. We had yet to decide which way this was going, seeing another strand tugging my saber back to where it belonged on my belt.

I couldn't split my attention between the Rodian behind me, and the bitch trying to steal my lightsaber, so I made a decision. I let go. My saber sped into her hand with a loud smack, bruising her at the very least and allowing for a momentary distraction as the saber had bounced off her hand and onto the floor where it slid a few dozen feet.

She turned to the weapon and pulled again, looking away for a few seconds. The dark thread around Itokai's neck grew to surround his arms, legs and just about his whole body. His consciousness was nearly fading, so I let loose. One Rodian loaded and ready to fire. I couldn't help but feel a little excited, tossing another being around like a baseball.

The former female Jedi hopeful turned just in time, the saber in her hand. That jolt of fear seeing a body loosened from the ground and rocketing towards her, that was a wonderful spike of energy I needed. Itokai slammed into the nameless woman, knocking her down while the rodian slipped past and slid on the floor a few feet more. The speed wasn't enough to outright kill them both, but to incapacitate, break or strain something.

Mrs. Thieving Hands had the wind knocked out of her, allowing me the opportunity to scoop my lightsaber up from the floor with a satisfied smile. I ignited it, and strode to her prone form quickly, not wanting to give her the chance to recoup.

"You dumbass. I gave you the chance, I told you. Now I will only know you as the dumbass that got Itokai killed." I spoke aloud with every step, dragging the tip of the saber blade on the ground, at eye level where the laid. She blinked, some blood leaking from somewhere on her head. Her eyes registered before her ears did, her arms attempting to push herself up off the durasteel.

I didn't let her, putting a hand out to direct the swirling Force energies, weighing her down with her own negative emotions. I understood why the dark side was powerful, why it was such an intoxicating power. It gave me a mild sense of respect for the Jedi who were truly good.

I didn't allow her to get a word, removing her head without a swipe of my wrist, just guiding the blade across the floor to her neck. I switched it off afterwards, reaching out to where Itsokai laid. His breathing was ragged, blood pooled out from his mouth. I could pull from his suffering and rejuvenate myself in a way, if only mildly. I just wasn't going to push myself further than I already had. The whirling twine thinned and looped around his neck, readying itself to crush his life. And it cinched, breaking the neck and windpipe in an instant, destroying nerves and vertebrae.

I was the only one left, and I looked up at the gathered Inquisitorius from their little watch room.

"Well? Are you not entertained?" I called out, arms open wide to gesture at the mess. At least this time there weren't any large amounts of body parts everywhere.

"Entertained, no. Satisfied, yes."

The loudspeaker echoed the voice through four different speakers mounted in the walls, corresponding to each cardinal direction. The Fifth Brother spoke for the others in a low, rumbling whisper.

"Quite right on that front." stated the Grand Inquisitor. "Return to your quarters for the day, Brother. We will reconvene in the morning."

"Brother", my mind echoed. I really am doing this.

I shut down the lightsaber, and let out a breath. I calmed myself, thumbing the ignition switch on the lightsaber absentmindedly. I was to hunt down Jedi, and whatever other ruffians deemed worthy of the eyes of the Inquisitorius. I needed to be careful in that part, I didn't want to screw things over for the rebellion in the long run, or accidentally reveal the identities of Jedi hiding amongst the galaxy. Though, I was tempted to seek out Obi-Wan Kenobi in secret if possible, to learn where Reva had fled. Even if it had been four years, and nearly fourteen since the rise of the Galactic Empire, I had a suspicion he could provide a vital clue in the other Inquisitors investigations. Something to curry favor with them at least, and save my neck or pull a favor.

I let a little laugh out, making my way to the exit of the room. Not even officially inducted, and there I went, thinking of ways to weasel my way around this group of insane ex-Jedi. All that nonsense was a problem for the future, as I had a wholly different path ahead of me: a somewhat comfy bed with my name written all over it.