Ayden Cater
Grumpy Goat
It didn't hurt.
A smile came over his dry, cracked lips and the chill of spring air washed down his throat. Above him, he watched as the last shuttle lifted away from the surface. As its blue ion engine trailed away, he turned and felt the rush of heat from the fires that burned all around him. The ground was littered with bodies; some were with faces that he recognized. Many others he did not. But there was one face not among them. Her face couldn't be there. She was flying away, even now. Safe. And that kept it from hurting.
The first step was the hardest. His leg clanked audibly, its joints shot and hanging on by the miracle of Corellian jury-rigging. His hands clutched his lightsabers tightly for support, even as he took that second step. Another step away from her. Another step towards it. His coat was in pieces. It lay against the ground in great ribbons, each strewn about the smoldering ruins of his hat that had faithfully been at his side for years. Another step away from them. Another step towards it.
Behind him, the atrium crumbled. The seal of Corellia still stood, a great crack clawed through its figure. Viridian light warmed him against the chill of fire as he stepped into the streets. Above him the sky cast its baleful gaze upon him. It would not comfort him today. The wind passed over his cheeks, reminding him of her touch one last time before the challenging roar brought him back. He looked forward and found those eyes, sickly yellow and full of venom and malice. Its features were ghastly and pale against the light of its red lightsaber, and its teeth were bared at him like a thousand daggers.
But it wasn't easy.
He took a shaky step with his leg, and then another. Blood rolled freely down one temple, but did not blind him. Another step. His lungs screamed, the ash tearing at them from within. But he didn't stop. Another step. It came back to him sluggishly. A rock lay just right in his path, his joint jolting back into place. He took another step, this one more sure. And then another. He leaned forward and ran, undaunted by the flapping of his right sleeve over empty air. She was still in danger. Those eyes, those yellow eyes hunted for her. He couldn't allow them to find her ever again.
Nothing was said. No battle cry, no blasted curse. He found himself in the air, lightsaber high, as the sky above him was washed in the light and fire of a second son. Great balls of fire flit through the atmosphere. As they began to vanish into ash, the commission plate of the ship fell upon the Golden Beaches, landing amidst one of many great glassy craters. As viridian met red, the smoke cleared away and the lettering could be read.
The weather shifted, its cooling winds vanishing only to be replaced by a howling shriek and the clawing of a million shards of glass at his face. He swung high, feeling his arm strain as the blow was blocked. Pushing back, he stumbled and batted away a lunge at his side. Regaining his footing, he stood up and slashed forward. Again, he was denied and fell forward onto one knee. His balance was still off, and he used the lack of obstructions to roll onto his right shoulder, barely missing a swing meant for his neck.
Distantly, he felt a light wink out and heard the quiet tinkle of glass on durasteel. The icy sting of medical fluids hung over his neck as he rolled away. The Force ran through him now, singing in his ears along with the beating of his heart. He couldn't remember the last time he breathed. There was no pause in the assault, no moment of respite against the Sith juggernaut. It fell upon him again, brandishing its lightsaber like a bludgeon. Each swing and something fell away. Coiling his muscles tightly, he jumped into the air and landing in the middle of what had once been the capital building.
He turned and threw out his hand, sending the behemoth flying into the side of another building as it sought to chase him. That would not stop it. Already the ground quaked as it roared and tore its way through debris. He swallowed away the knot in his throat, feeling his mouth dry even as he fell against the durasteel mesh and coughed up blood and more medical fluids. Another light went out.
Slinging a pack over one shoulder, he secured it as best he could by himself and triggered the ignition. It was difficult to pilot, the right control stick laying useless at his side. He had to get higher. Beneath him came the indignant scream and the clawing of duracrete. It was coming for him, and he did not think he could stop it. Not in his condition. But he had a plan. A weary smirk, unfamiliar against scar and dirt graced his lips for the first time in a long time. He always had a plan.
Landing on the roof of the shattered building, he could see the destruction that had fallen over the city. Even now, he could see tiny flashes of red against blue and green. But there were so many more flashes of red. The sky above him held no friendliness either as swarms of ships screamed through the air, pursing the defenseless and the weary. But they did not see him. He wasn't their concern.
He reached out, stretching his senses further and further. Clink. Splash. Another light gone. The light seared his mind, but he kept reaching. He could see it now. Two tiny molecules, lonely and disparate, came together in an explosion and birthed something new. And it wandered off in search of its own partner. It was a cycle that would last for billions of years. And he sought to end it in less than a minute. Clink. Splash. Another two lights gone.
Now that he knew what it was that the Force had led him to do, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small figurine. It was small, easily fitting inside his closed fist. But every detail was there as he remembered it. Her smile, her hair. Through it, he reached across the stars to a place sheltered away from the galaxy for an object none were meant to use. And he found it. Beneath it, the Force swirled like a great ocean. And he put his head beneath its surface and began to drink.
Clink. Splash. Another light gone. Two became four. Four became sixteen. Then two fifty-six. Clink. Each second, the numbers multiplied. His lips parted and his breathing felt heavy and haggard. Splash. Behind him, a massive hand fell and crushed duracrete beneath it. Spinning around, he kept the figurine close to his chest even as his lightsaber sprang up to defend him. Those eyes came over the ridge and found him. Those eyes that would never stop hunting.
It attacked once more, and he began to leap aside of those monstrous strokes. And still he drank more. Something stirred inside the light, but it wasn't enough. More. He needed more. Emerald eyes shone against the light and for the first time ever, those yellow eyes were twisted not by anger, but by fear. Its swings became desperate. It did not understand what he was doing, but it knew. It knew that he was doing something to kill it.
Cracked lips twitched and formed a smile. A throaty chuckle worked its way up and he found himself laughing. Another light went out while the light in his head grew ever brighter. His laughter only made it hate him more and it swung with everything it had. He stepped aside and flinched. Something in him snapped under strain and his lightsaber fell away. But it took the roof with it, and the savage Sith found itself caught in the clutches of gravity. He watched it fall, a certain feeling of satisfaction washing over him.
His hand began to smoke and his eyes could no longer been seen. More and more he pulled the Force within him. He could see her now, curled up on the seat of the ship. The blood had stopped flowing from the wound over her eye and she turned to face him, already light-years away. Yet she felt him as if he were right there. He tried to smile at the memory of her smile, tried to laugh at sound of her own laughter. Yet all he saw now was white. He would save her. Even as he burned, he would save her.
And then the light disappeared. His lips moved soundlessly as the figurine fell. He looked down to find it, but saw only red. Laughter, mirthless and vile, touched his mind and he fell to his knees. He tried to swallow now but found that he couldn't. The world shifted and wavered, losing focus then coming back too quickly. Somewhere, he heard the figurine fall against the ground and shatter. Everything went quiet and he found himself falling forward. Nothing stayed still in his already darkening vision. It zoomed by, yet failed to move all at once.
He had failed.
But it didn't hurt.
The darkness in his mind peeled away, and light unlike anything he had witnessed before flooded inside. Above, the sky of Corellia shifted and became brighter than the most brilliant summer day. All other lights went out and he felt even his body fall apart. The light burned away his very being, yet it pulled more from him. He didn't know what more he could give it as his saber fell upon the heap of his hat. And then he remembered her.
Corell, the light to all Corellians, shuddered and then expanded. First a tiny bit, then more. And more. Its reach raced across space and its warming yellow light turned a vengeful red. Corellian blood had been spilled and now he called for it. Even as he lost all senses, it reached out for him. It consumed everything in its wake. Hers had been the last ship to flee safely, it had seen to that. Great loops of fire swept through and collected the Sith into his arms.
In her seat a lifetime away, she fell against the wall. She could feel him slip away. She wept for him, even as the system was burned away. He had lured them all there, his enemies. They had come for her and he fought. A tear fell across her cheek then stopped. As the last piece of the old world was burned away, she smiled as she heard his words spoken as if in her ear.
"I love you."
----------
I blame [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] for this post. He linked me to something and it got my music surfing. This was what directly led to this post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRk3PJ-SNc0
Feel free to make your own posts. Or not.
A smile came over his dry, cracked lips and the chill of spring air washed down his throat. Above him, he watched as the last shuttle lifted away from the surface. As its blue ion engine trailed away, he turned and felt the rush of heat from the fires that burned all around him. The ground was littered with bodies; some were with faces that he recognized. Many others he did not. But there was one face not among them. Her face couldn't be there. She was flying away, even now. Safe. And that kept it from hurting.
The first step was the hardest. His leg clanked audibly, its joints shot and hanging on by the miracle of Corellian jury-rigging. His hands clutched his lightsabers tightly for support, even as he took that second step. Another step away from her. Another step towards it. His coat was in pieces. It lay against the ground in great ribbons, each strewn about the smoldering ruins of his hat that had faithfully been at his side for years. Another step away from them. Another step towards it.
Behind him, the atrium crumbled. The seal of Corellia still stood, a great crack clawed through its figure. Viridian light warmed him against the chill of fire as he stepped into the streets. Above him the sky cast its baleful gaze upon him. It would not comfort him today. The wind passed over his cheeks, reminding him of her touch one last time before the challenging roar brought him back. He looked forward and found those eyes, sickly yellow and full of venom and malice. Its features were ghastly and pale against the light of its red lightsaber, and its teeth were bared at him like a thousand daggers.
But it wasn't easy.
He took a shaky step with his leg, and then another. Blood rolled freely down one temple, but did not blind him. Another step. His lungs screamed, the ash tearing at them from within. But he didn't stop. Another step. It came back to him sluggishly. A rock lay just right in his path, his joint jolting back into place. He took another step, this one more sure. And then another. He leaned forward and ran, undaunted by the flapping of his right sleeve over empty air. She was still in danger. Those eyes, those yellow eyes hunted for her. He couldn't allow them to find her ever again.
Nothing was said. No battle cry, no blasted curse. He found himself in the air, lightsaber high, as the sky above him was washed in the light and fire of a second son. Great balls of fire flit through the atmosphere. As they began to vanish into ash, the commission plate of the ship fell upon the Golden Beaches, landing amidst one of many great glassy craters. As viridian met red, the smoke cleared away and the lettering could be read.
'To be a light in the darkness. To shelter the weak and to protect the strong.'
'Starfall'
'Starfall'
The weather shifted, its cooling winds vanishing only to be replaced by a howling shriek and the clawing of a million shards of glass at his face. He swung high, feeling his arm strain as the blow was blocked. Pushing back, he stumbled and batted away a lunge at his side. Regaining his footing, he stood up and slashed forward. Again, he was denied and fell forward onto one knee. His balance was still off, and he used the lack of obstructions to roll onto his right shoulder, barely missing a swing meant for his neck.
Distantly, he felt a light wink out and heard the quiet tinkle of glass on durasteel. The icy sting of medical fluids hung over his neck as he rolled away. The Force ran through him now, singing in his ears along with the beating of his heart. He couldn't remember the last time he breathed. There was no pause in the assault, no moment of respite against the Sith juggernaut. It fell upon him again, brandishing its lightsaber like a bludgeon. Each swing and something fell away. Coiling his muscles tightly, he jumped into the air and landing in the middle of what had once been the capital building.
He turned and threw out his hand, sending the behemoth flying into the side of another building as it sought to chase him. That would not stop it. Already the ground quaked as it roared and tore its way through debris. He swallowed away the knot in his throat, feeling his mouth dry even as he fell against the durasteel mesh and coughed up blood and more medical fluids. Another light went out.
Slinging a pack over one shoulder, he secured it as best he could by himself and triggered the ignition. It was difficult to pilot, the right control stick laying useless at his side. He had to get higher. Beneath him came the indignant scream and the clawing of duracrete. It was coming for him, and he did not think he could stop it. Not in his condition. But he had a plan. A weary smirk, unfamiliar against scar and dirt graced his lips for the first time in a long time. He always had a plan.
Landing on the roof of the shattered building, he could see the destruction that had fallen over the city. Even now, he could see tiny flashes of red against blue and green. But there were so many more flashes of red. The sky above him held no friendliness either as swarms of ships screamed through the air, pursing the defenseless and the weary. But they did not see him. He wasn't their concern.
He reached out, stretching his senses further and further. Clink. Splash. Another light gone. The light seared his mind, but he kept reaching. He could see it now. Two tiny molecules, lonely and disparate, came together in an explosion and birthed something new. And it wandered off in search of its own partner. It was a cycle that would last for billions of years. And he sought to end it in less than a minute. Clink. Splash. Another two lights gone.
Now that he knew what it was that the Force had led him to do, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small figurine. It was small, easily fitting inside his closed fist. But every detail was there as he remembered it. Her smile, her hair. Through it, he reached across the stars to a place sheltered away from the galaxy for an object none were meant to use. And he found it. Beneath it, the Force swirled like a great ocean. And he put his head beneath its surface and began to drink.
Clink. Splash. Another light gone. Two became four. Four became sixteen. Then two fifty-six. Clink. Each second, the numbers multiplied. His lips parted and his breathing felt heavy and haggard. Splash. Behind him, a massive hand fell and crushed duracrete beneath it. Spinning around, he kept the figurine close to his chest even as his lightsaber sprang up to defend him. Those eyes came over the ridge and found him. Those eyes that would never stop hunting.
It attacked once more, and he began to leap aside of those monstrous strokes. And still he drank more. Something stirred inside the light, but it wasn't enough. More. He needed more. Emerald eyes shone against the light and for the first time ever, those yellow eyes were twisted not by anger, but by fear. Its swings became desperate. It did not understand what he was doing, but it knew. It knew that he was doing something to kill it.
Cracked lips twitched and formed a smile. A throaty chuckle worked its way up and he found himself laughing. Another light went out while the light in his head grew ever brighter. His laughter only made it hate him more and it swung with everything it had. He stepped aside and flinched. Something in him snapped under strain and his lightsaber fell away. But it took the roof with it, and the savage Sith found itself caught in the clutches of gravity. He watched it fall, a certain feeling of satisfaction washing over him.
His hand began to smoke and his eyes could no longer been seen. More and more he pulled the Force within him. He could see her now, curled up on the seat of the ship. The blood had stopped flowing from the wound over her eye and she turned to face him, already light-years away. Yet she felt him as if he were right there. He tried to smile at the memory of her smile, tried to laugh at sound of her own laughter. Yet all he saw now was white. He would save her. Even as he burned, he would save her.
And then the light disappeared. His lips moved soundlessly as the figurine fell. He looked down to find it, but saw only red. Laughter, mirthless and vile, touched his mind and he fell to his knees. He tried to swallow now but found that he couldn't. The world shifted and wavered, losing focus then coming back too quickly. Somewhere, he heard the figurine fall against the ground and shatter. Everything went quiet and he found himself falling forward. Nothing stayed still in his already darkening vision. It zoomed by, yet failed to move all at once.
He had failed.
But it didn't hurt.
The darkness in his mind peeled away, and light unlike anything he had witnessed before flooded inside. Above, the sky of Corellia shifted and became brighter than the most brilliant summer day. All other lights went out and he felt even his body fall apart. The light burned away his very being, yet it pulled more from him. He didn't know what more he could give it as his saber fell upon the heap of his hat. And then he remembered her.
Corell, the light to all Corellians, shuddered and then expanded. First a tiny bit, then more. And more. Its reach raced across space and its warming yellow light turned a vengeful red. Corellian blood had been spilled and now he called for it. Even as he lost all senses, it reached out for him. It consumed everything in its wake. Hers had been the last ship to flee safely, it had seen to that. Great loops of fire swept through and collected the Sith into his arms.
In her seat a lifetime away, she fell against the wall. She could feel him slip away. She wept for him, even as the system was burned away. He had lured them all there, his enemies. They had come for her and he fought. A tear fell across her cheek then stopped. As the last piece of the old world was burned away, she smiled as she heard his words spoken as if in her ear.
"I love you."
----------
I blame [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] for this post. He linked me to something and it got my music surfing. This was what directly led to this post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRk3PJ-SNc0
Feel free to make your own posts. Or not.